Brazilians Abroad: Emigrant Voting and Political Engagement
Emigrant voting has been implemented in more than 150 countries in the world, allowing emigrants to take part in the elections of their home country. This phenomenon is a consequence of global migration and political transnationalism. Looking at the experience of Brazil, this book explores the changed nature of Brazilian emigration and analyses how emigrant voting was initially introduced and subsequently permitted in all presidential elections. The book also investigates what external voting rights represent to the Brazilian emigrant community and if and how Brazilian emigrants engage politically with their country of origin. It is based on original research and data collected from Brazilians abroad across the seven countries with the most Brazilian emigrants.
Dr Denise Frizzo is a journalist and completed her PhD in Social Sciences at Swinburne University of Technology, Australia. Her interests are in the fields of migration, citizenship, transnationalism, politics, and Brazil. She is the General Coordinator of the Brazilian Citizens Council of Victoria (CCBV), in Australia, and a member of the Council of Brazilian Representatives Abroad (CRBE).
Dr Bruno Mascitelli is Associate Professor and holder of a Jean Monnet Chair in European Studies at Swinburne University of Technology, Australia. Prior to joining academia, he worked for the Australian government in Milan, Italy, for almost 18 years. Since joining Swinburne University, he has worked in teaching European studies, as well as researching areas such as migration, European studies and Italian expatriate voting. He is the President of the European Studies Association of Australia (CESAA).
“The study has implications beyond its focus on Brazilians living outside Brazil since over 150 countries have some form of emigrant voting. The authors review research on external voting around the world, its motivations, its questions about citizenship, why some countries disenfranchise their citizens living abroad, and how new transnational concepts of citizenship are involved in patterns of external voting. This is the first scholarly attempt to analyze voting behavior as an integral feature of more generalized transnational behavior among immigrants living outside their home countries. One key finding in this regard is that Brazilian immigrants view external voting as a symbolic connection to their transnational status as Brazilians rather than as a political one”
Dr Maxine Margolis
Professor Emerita of Anthropology, University of Florida; Brazilian emigration expert
"The inward and outward flow of Brazilian migrants will of course vary in accordance with the economic fluctuations in Brazil and the receiving countries. But, as this book shows, the large presence of Brazilians abroad is a fact of life. It would not be inappropriate to say that the protection of Brazilians will certainly require a growing portion of the Foreign Ministries’ resources and attention. It will also require a spirit of devotion on the part of the officials who will be in the front line of this task. In some cases, it may demand political sensitivity and expeditiousness on the part of whoever is in charge of the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I wholeheartedly extend my compliments to Denise Frizzo and Bruno Mascitelli who were responsible for this important, innovative and comprehensive study on Brazilian communities abroad."
Celso Amorim Brazilian Government Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defence
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