Sposàrsi a Franca: nuptial trends among Italian immigrants in the interior of São Paulo, 1885-1930

Abstract

In line with studies in Demographic History and Family History, this article aims to rescue aspects related to nuptiality experienced by Italians and their descendants in the municipality of Franca, in the interior of the state of São Paulo. The reflection is corroborated by recent historiography research pointing to the expansion of the coffee-based economy in the interior of São Paulo as responsible for demographic changes through the attraction of mass international immigration. This affected different areas, including family, matrimonial relations, ethnicity and integration of these groups in Brazilian society at the turn of the 20th century. A combination of serial and microanalysis methodologies to explore the data available in the registration records of the São Paulo Immigrant Inn and wedding seats in the Parish Records of the Diocesan Archive of Franca (1885-1930), paves the way to expand the universe of interpretations on nuptiality in municipalities affected by Italian immigration. This article examines the impacts of immigration variables on Italians’ marriage patterns in the municipality and retrieves aspects of this groups’ inbreeding, favored by the respective cultural contexts and backgrounds that led to the immigration process they experienced.

Key words
Immigration; Nuptiality; Microhistory