Abstract
Through the written correspondence of a Galician who migrated to Mar del Plata, Argentina, I analyze the relationship maintained with his mother in Spain and the ties established in the new country through the initial settlement process, the relationships involved, and the emotions that came into play. The letters sent and received demonstrate that he participated in different emotional codes, depending on whether they were related to the place of origin or destination. The contrast between the two suggests that feelings and emotional expressions involved in newly formed relationships played an important role in this migrant’s process of adaptation to the destination country and his decision to stay.
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Notes
- 1.
I’d like to thank Marcelo López, of the Asociación Marplatense de Anticuarios (Association of Antiquarians of Mar de Plata), for providing this important material and Vilma, Diego’s daughter, for authorizing its use.
- 2.
Translator’s note: These letters have been translated to preserve as much as possible their original style, including peculiar phrasing and missing punctuation.
- 3.
The Spanish noun “amparo” and the verb “amparar” are key terms in these letters, and may lose something in the translation to English. Translated here as “protection” and “protect,” they also include connotations of harbor and shelter.
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Da Orden, M.L. (2018). The Ties and Emotions of Emigration: An Analysis of Personal Correspondence. In: DePalma, R., Pérez-Caramés, A. (eds) Galician Migrations: A Case Study of Emerging Super-diversity. Migration, Minorities and Modernity, vol 3. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66305-0_4
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