Imagined (and lived) places

reflections on immigration in Nur na escuridão, by Salim Miguel

Abstract

This study, whose reflections are anchored in the theory of the Imaginary by Durand (2012), focuses on discussing the relations with the place from the narrative Nur na Escuridão, by the Santa Catarina writer Salim Miguel. Nur na Escuridão presents the “saga” of a family of Lebanese immigrants, who decide to “make America”, seeking better living conditions. The story of this family is told through an intricate memorial game, which alternates facts, times and places, from their departure from the land of origin and arrival in Brazil until the death of patriarch. We will seek to understand the mythical of the promised land, the deconstruction of the homeland to (re)build another idea of a welcoming land. The lived experience appears endowed with multiple meanings, sedimented by the light that would guide the family in the new experience of conquering a promised land and by the hardships of a difficult life, involved in nostalgia and joy, in the expectation of a future of fame and abundance for the immigrant. Through the concept of topophilia (Tuan, 1980), we can understand how places transcend mere geography and become spaces full of meanings, feelings and emotional bonds for individuals and groups in migration.