THE EXILED of THE “SERTÃO”: migration in Ceará during the 1877 drought

Abstract

Abstract: The objective of this article is to understand the migratory dynamics that occurred during the 1877 drought in the countryside of the Ceará province. To this end, official sources will be used, such as reports from the provincial president, in addition to information compiled in weekly publications in the local newspaper O Cearense. Understanding that the social context before and after a drought are revealing, we intend to consider the historical conjuncture as a whole instead of analyzing the natural disaster as an isolated factor. Using a theoretical framework of Environmental History and studies on migration and space, we seek to understand how this migratory flow is related to the natural disasters faced by the Ceará peoples. It is essential, therefore, to analyze the attempt to direct these migrations, as the recommendations from the Provincial Government guided the displacement of these migrants to the capital of Ceará.

Keywords: Drought. Backland. Ceará.