Triângulo Mineiro e Alto Paranaíba: características dos fluxos imigratórios (1980-1991)

Abstract

The 1980s were marked by several changes in the Brazilian scenario. In addition to the economic and political changes that impacted the country, it was found that the demographic area also showed extremely important variations. Recent studies of the 1991 Demographic Census reveal a significant reduction in the rate of population growth throughout the Brazilian territory, an effect evidenced by a main factor: the decline in fertility. Another equally relevant phenomenon that was noticed in the so-called “lost decade” was the changes in migratory movements. Previously long-distance and with a preponderance of interregional migration, population displacement started to be characterized by short distance movements with an emphasis on intra-regional migration; rural-urban dynamics, displacements between urban centers predominated; of movements from small municipalities towards large cities, the search for cities close to the metropolises and medium-sized cities that had better living conditions in relation to the metropolises stood out, a factor that makes up the so-called process of redistribution of the population with deconcentration population in large urban centers. To a greater or lesser extent, these transformations were noticed in some areas of the country, such as the State of Minas Gerais, for example. Regions traditionally receiving populations have shown a relative loss of their power of population attraction compared to historically expelling regions. Furthermore, in the 1980s, the trajectory of a gradual decrease in population evasion in that state continued, amplified by the growth of immigration, where the return of emigrants has been assuming significant weight.The importance of the Triângulo Mineiro and Alto Paranaíba region in the migratory dynamics of the state is growing. During the 1980s, this region was the third that received the most migrant population from other states, and internal population displacements were also intense (between its microregions and municipalities). Some cities stood out as the largest population receptors, while others, with less economic dynamism, saw a significant volume of people emigrate towards the urban sector of the largest centers. The study of the characteristics of migrants revealed that, in general terms, the population that goes to the region under study has low education, is among the youngest age groups (up to 49 years), is represented almost equally by men and women, and moved to the Triângulo Mineiro and Alto Paranaíba at times of great changes in Brazilian society, certainly reflecting such changes. Understanding the migratory situation of the region, at this moment, implies an attempt to understand the economic, political and social context that the Triangle is going through, assuming that this context is totally interwoven with a larger scenario and that the population, directly or indirectly, its living conditions are altered by the transformations that surround it. In this sense, some important elements were raised that will assist in the search for explanations for the understanding of immigration flows to the region in the 1980s.