Informashon
‘The Portuguese Immigrant in Curaçao’ is a book by Charles do Rego that explores the immigration, participation, and integration of Portuguese immigrants in Curaçao during the 20th century. It primarily focuses on the period from the 1920s to the 1950s, when thousands of Portuguese, mainly from Madeira, migrated to Curaçao to work in the emerging oil industry and agricultural sector.
A small group settled permanently and, from the 1960s onward, developed into a strong entrepreneurial community, particularly in the supermarket sector and other market segments. The book highlights how these immigrants integrated and became an integral part of Curaçaoan society.
Contents
Preface ….. 7
1 Introduction ….. 11
1.1. Introducing the Portuguese Community ….. 11
1.2. From Entrepôt to Oil Refining ….. 13
1.3. Purpose, Methodology, and Design ….. 17
2 People on the Move: Migrants in a Modern World ….. 23
2.1. Global Migrations in the 19th and 20th Centuries ….. 23
2.2. On Labor Migration ….. 29
3 Export of People ….. 35
3.1. Economic and Political History of Portugal ….. 35
3.2. Times of Dictatorship and Stagnation ….. 38
3.3. Madeira and Azores: Isolated and Overpopulated ….. 43
4 Laborers for Shell ….. 51
4.1. Construction of the Refinery: 1915-1936 ….. 51
4.2. The Initial Workforce ….. 54
4.3. Portuguese Immigrants for Shell: 1929-1954 ….. 59
4.4. Workers with a Contract ….. 65
4.5. Staying in Curacao ….. 71
5 The Oil Worker in a New Environment ….. 77
5.1. Living in Suffisant ….. 77
5.2. Social Life, Sports, and Culture ….. 83
5.3. Starting Entrepreneurs ….. 89
5.4. Overview and Conclusions ….. 92
6 A Changing Society ….. 97
6.1. End of Oil Supremacy ….. 97
6.2. New Opportunities ….. 102
6.3. Renewed Immigration ….. 106
6.4. Autonomy and the Immigrant ….. 114
