Editors Yvette Santos and Paulo César Gonçalves intend to propose a special issue to the Journal of Transatlantic Studies, contributing to the understanding of the business of emigrant maritime transport from the Belle Epoque until the end of the 1960s.
Questioning the interactions between actors and the issues of human mobility is a relevant approach to understanding the mechanisms of migration processes. As actors, shipping companies have been under-analyzed despite playing a crucial and important role in stimulating migration movements. Transnational and network historiographical perspectives have shown the importance of European shipping companies to massive migration to North America.
The analysis of the South Atlantic route, however, has been downplayed despite its importance in international migration movements. The maritime transport of migrants in the South Atlantic needs to be considered a privileged object of study in order to understand global migration processes, especially during the longue durée – from the Belle Époque to the 1960s, when shipping companies were replaced by airlines and land routes to European destinations. At the same time, the idea that the interwar period is a key moment to the end of the migrant transport business needs to be revisited. For example, analysis of the case of Portugal, a country with an important maritime and emigration tradition, has shown the relevance of Portuguese emigrant maritime transport to Portuguese shipping and the Portuguese government after the Second World War. The participation of foreign shipping companies has been observed too — British, French, Italian, Greek — which confirms their historical interest in this business.
For this special issue proposal, we accept proposals (in English only) focused on the study of the migration industry linked to the maritime transportation of emigrants from Europe to South Atlantic countries.
All researchers interested in participating in the special issue should send a proposal to ivetesantos@fcsh.unl.pt and pc.goncalves@unesp.br by 15 June 2020, that includes:
– An abstract (maximum 500 words);
– A biographical note (300 words).
Organizers:
Yvette Santos (Institute of Contemporary History — NOVA FCSH / Portugal)
Paulo César Gonçalves (UNESP / Brasil)
