"SEEING THE INVISIBLE"

"HERITAGE OF CROATIAN IMMIGRATION IN SÃO PAULO"

Abstract

In this article, we will present a proposal for the visibility of the heritage of the Croatian community in São Paulo, based on two projects: "History of Croatia and Croatian Immigration in Brazil" and "Dalmatian Memory," whose purpose is to rescue, organize, and disseminate a community archive. The aim of this work is to discuss ways to make visible the heritage of a community that, due to its historical condition, was erased from the official, institutional history of São Paulo, yet preserved as collective memory in the immigrants' narratives, as community heritage in their institutions, and as discourse in their media. Methodologically, we rely on the exploration and overcoming of Halbwachs' (2004) concept of time, which separates history and collective memory. Thus, we will offer a reflection on the proposals for the affirmation of ethnic heritage, their tensions, and dynamics in both diachronic and synchronic perspectives, fostering a dialogical relationship between the three involved instances: the University, the State, and the Community. We observe that during the formative period of the community (1920-1950), there were practices of self-organization and self-management, and despite their ephemerality, many associations and societies were created and closed, creating gaps over time. We conclude that these institutional gaps in archives and official history can be enhanced through a community memory that offers other perspectives on heritage, especially ethnic heritage, which, with appropriate research and analytical methodologies, can help uncover these hidden histories.