Tiffany D. Joseph
Home Institution: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Host: Governador Valadares, Brazil (Independent Study)
Field: Sociology
Dates of Grant: 2007-2008

Tiffany D. Joseph (middle) with Brazilian Friends

During the 2007-2008 academic year, I used my Fulbright grant to work on my dissertation project examining the impact of U.S. immigration on Brazilians’ racial conceptions in a small town called Governador Valadares, Brazil (GV). Since various academic studies have compared race, racial classification, and racism in Brazil and the United States, my goal was to learn about the personal perceptions regarding race in each country from individuals who had lived in both countries for an extended period of time. GV was the perfect location for two reasons: (1) it has historically has been Brazil’s largest immigrant-sending city to the Unites States and (2) many immigrants return to GV after the U.S. migration. Therefore, I conducted in-depth interviews with 50 returned migrants to explore and compare their racial perceptions in three periods: (1) before the U.S. migration, (2) while in the United States, and (3) after returning to Brazil. Because I also wanted to learn if the history of GV-U.S. immigration was “Americanizing” social, cultural, racial, and economic relations in the city, I also interviewed 25 individuals who had never emigrated.

While I was excited to live in GV and begin my research, I was also nervous about what challenges I would face as an American doing research in a city heavily influenced by U.S. immigration. When I first arrived, language, cultural, and climate differences made it difficult to adapt. However, as time passed and as I began conducting interviews and befriending locals, GV began to feel more like home. As my year passed, I gained more confidence in my language abilities, which allowed me to really connect with Brazilians and learn more about their experiences and perceptions of the United States and Americans. I also learned to be more patient in getting everything done, from paying bills to scheduling interviews, since the pace of life is much slower there.

Of all the challenges I encountered, the most difficult was negotiating my social identities and privileges as a middle class, highly educated, black American woman interacting with Brazilians whose life experiences were very different from mine. Despite previous travels to Brazil, I never completely adapted to the coexistence of abject poverty and opulent displays of wealth, the lack of infrastructure (e.g. running water, continuous electricity) in poorer communities, or the number of homeless people living in the streets. At times, I also felt guilty about my Fulbright stipend, which allowed me to live in a nice apartment and travel throughout the country while most Brazilians were struggling to survive on much less. Despite their circumstances, Brazilians welcomed me into their homes and shared their lives with me in interviews and informal conversations. We found common ground in our experiences of temporarily leaving our homelands and having loved ones that were far away from us. I heard stories of immigration arrests and deportations and family separations, but also stories of success and social mobility that U.S. immigration allowed. My year in Brazil gave me a much better appreciation for the privileges and resources I can access as a U.S. citizen and has made me more cognizant of the impact of U.S. immigration and U.S. policy in other countries. Through this experience, true cultural exchange occurred and I was able to broaden and improve Brazilians’ perceptions of Americans. I will always be grateful to the State Department and the Institute of International Education for providing me with such a rich and life-changing opportunity.

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