A construção e influência da identidade cultural libanesa no cenário político brasileiro

Abstract

The presence of the Lebanese community in Brazil has a considerable expression both numerically and by its identity markers. This cultural identity emerged in Brazil after its first diaspora, still in the 19th century, and has influenced, since then, the course of the country, either through the development of trade, literature, education, but mainly, in the local political scene. The scope of this work is to ask why Brazilian politics has attracted and received so well this specific community, to the point of allowing it a significant role in the decision making process in Brazil. To answer this, a long process of reading was started, first out of curiosity, and later transformed into this research project, which helped to understand this social phenomenon as well as the continuation of the immigration process. It was found that this immigration was a fundamental factor for the development of Brazil, not only because of the cultural heritage but also because it has influenced the most diverse sectors where this group has acted and coexisted. This community has impacted the imaginary, the identity, and the directions of the Brazilian political scenario, unquestionably. However, the specialized studies about Lebanese immigration still focus much more on the "northern" countries of the West, and very little about countries like Brazil. Thus, this article has the expectation of filling this academic void, even if in a very discreet way, and, more specifically, of understanding how the ascension of this community to the instances of power happened.