Crossing the atlantic frontier Brazilian migrants in Portugal

Abstract

Migration in an age of globalization is one of the most important points of contention on the international stage. It challenges the boundaries of the nation state and demands answers that have not yet been given. In this work, we will analyse the migration flow from Brazil to Portugal, studying in particular the years between 2003 and 2013. What is the role of the state? What can the state do and what should it? From a liberal thesis perspective, we will analyse three variables: push-pull factors, networks, and rights. It will be employ an encompassing approach towards market demands, the importance of migrants themselves in perpetuating migration, and the role of the state on migration policies. This theorization has not yet been applied to Portugal, and it is quite fortuitous to explain the consolidation of rights-based constitutionalism as the state’s liberal answer to migration. We will address the bilateral agreements between both countries, Estatuto da Igualdade and Acordo Lula more specifically, and the legislative changes in nationality law and immigration law in Portugal. Only by equally analysing these variables can we bring the state back in to the discussion about market demand and migrants networks, and that is our goal.