The life history of Portuguese return migrants: A Canadian-Azorean case stud

This research examines the 'life history' of fifteen Portuguese-Canadians who returned to the island of Sao Miguel, Azores. The research traces the experiences of the fifteen respondents from their pre-departure state in Portugal (Azores), to their situation after returning to Portugal. It includes an analysis of the entire migration cycle. This study complements other studies of Portuguese immigration to Canada, thereby narrowing the gap that existed in the literature.;Life history and ethnography, two complementary qualitative methods, were used to capture the life experiences of the return migrants interviewed in this study. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with the fifteen return migrants living in two districts of Sao Miguel, Ponta Delgada and Ribeira Grande. All the respondents had lived at one time or another in the Greater Toronto Area and had been first generation Portuguese immigrants in Canada. The informants were asked to "teach" me about their experiences as Portuguese immigrants who had emigrated to Canada and who then returned to Portugal (Azores).;For each informant a series of topics were identified from their experiences as migrants who returned from Canada to Portugal. These topics were grouped into three major categories based on stages of the immigrants' life history; (1) before emigration, (2) migration experience in Canada, and (3) return to Portugal. Within these three major categories ten major themes evolved describing the life history of the fifteen Portuguese-Canadian migrants.;The main conclusion of the study is that the informants' life experiences have been difficult, for they continue to struggle in their homeland just as they had done when they first emigrated to Canada. Indeed, most felt themselves painfully divided between the two worlds they had known--Canada and Portugal.