Tensions in the Construction of Polish Identity

The book studies the constitution of Virmond, a Polish immigrant colony founded at the beginning of the 20th century. It looks at the possible relationship between the Catholic Church and the formation of identity, and how this relationship marked the lives of the residents, establishing practices and knowledge. In order to understand this, it is necessary to establish connections with the changes taking place within the Catholic Church at that time, such as the Romanisation of Catholicism and the affirmation of the Catholic Church in Brazil. The religiosity present among the immigrants, with the desire to continue exercising their faith, would be present in the home, at school and in the community as a whole. When referring to the colonisation of immigrants, issues such as individual and collective identities, permanence and change, and the construction of memory are addressed. Through interviews with Polish immigrants and their descendants (oral history) and the use of publications from the time, it can be seen that the Catholic faith, nationality and the desire to build a new life while maintaining Polishness are the ties that structure the colony's identity.