Internal Migration in Brazil over the Past 50 Years: (Dis)Continuities and Ruptures

Migration is among Brazil’s most persistent phenomena that has had tremendous influence on the social dynamics of the country. Even more important is the fact that migration greatly expresses existing regional inequalities. Based on five demographic censuses (1970 to 2010), this chapter shows that this persistent divide impacts migration flows, especially those of longer distances. Such territorial inequalities were somehow attenuated in the 2000s, as a result not only of the recovery of the purchasing power of wages but also of advances in social policies. As a result, we witnessed the intensification of return migration, especially toward the poorer Brazilian Northeast. On the other hand, the economic crisis of the 1990s also affected the national migration dynamics. Hence, longer distance movements (interstate) are influenced by regional differences, which are still far from being eradicated. This chapter attempts to show that a broader temporal view of the national migration process leads us to reflect on the nature of the actual ruptures and continuities of Brazilian social context, particularly the transition to an urban society. Describing and discussing these trends becomes an even more provocative experience when we are able to rely on several comparable demographic censuses, which allow us to examine the migratory phenomenon over the course of five decades.