Arabs in Paraguay: genesis, evolution and current challenges in Ciudad del Este

Abstract

The article addresses the topic of Arab migration in Paraguay and is articulated around three main points: genesis, evolution and current challenges. The main objective is to publicize this migration that, since the end of the 19th century/beginning of the 20th century, has traveled from the Arab Middle East, Bilad Al-Sham, and settled in the Ibero-American country, based on its temporal coordinates ( evolution), spatial (cities), until leading to the current situation of Ciudad del Este which, linked to the Brazilian Foz de Iguazú, poses specific challenges. The main hypotheses are two: firstly, to point out that the Paraguayan case, even though it shares a similar origin to the rest of the Arab migrants (or "Turks" in its original nomenclature) in America, its development is genuine in the field. Ibero-American due preferably to the idiosyncrasy of Paraguay; secondly, that the specific case of its considered second capital, Ciudad del Este, has to face particular challenges due to its border location with the Brazilian Foz de Iguazú. As for the methodology, it is a bibliographic-documentary research at a descriptive level, which follows the guidelines of the project devised by Casa Arabe[1], called La Arabia Americana, from a multi- and interdisciplinary perspective. This article that is now presented provides updated documentation - with the theoretical bibliographic material consulted (in Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic) - as well as results derived from the field work carried out in the country itself between 2020/2022 thanks to a project of the UMA Own Plan[2]; This field work was based on “Life Stories”, of a qualitative nature, where story and image walk in parallel.

[1] Project started in 2008 under the direction of Dr. Gema Martín Muñoz, who, from a multidisciplinary perspective and interdisciplinary work, dedicated herself to analyzing the Arab contribution to Latin American identities and highlighting the links between both realities. Casa América in Madrid was linked to this project and from then on joint activities were carried out, framed in a more ambitious project called Amrika, which included the participation of renowned academics, experts and writers, both in the Hispanic and Arab reality.

[2] Among the Research Members of the Research Project, from which the field work was carried out - carried out through meetings, interviews and “visda stories” -, there were experts from the field of Arabism (Rosa-Isabel Martínez), Economics (Pedro Staevie), Philology (Indiana Jorrat) and Journalism (Arturo Javier Encinas); It was also based on the geographical studies of Gamal Hamdan, the sociological studies of Silvia Montenegro, and the anthropological studies of Alejandro Grimson. There was also a scholarship from the Carolina Foundation (UNILA 2020) and a Research Stay at the University of Asunción (December 2021), provided by the University of Málaga.