The Strategic Production of Hate: Anti-migrant Discourse and Xenophobic Practices in Foz de Iguazú, Brasil

Abstract

The objective of the article is to describe ethnographically the social impacts of anti-immigration hate speech in the Brazilian city of Foz de Iguazú (in the Paraná Triple-border). We analyze the current Brazilian political context, investigating the present impact of the imaginaries of distended militarism on these borders since 1970. We use an ethnographic methodology, with 60 qualitative interviews and a focus group with 11 participants (international migrant students, teachers and technical staff from the University of Latin American Integration). The results show that xenophobia was converted into an official discourse in Brazil, articulated with statements that advocate intolerance towards minorities and vulnerable sectors. This has a particular impact on Foz, given the border and military configurations of the city. Likewise, the study allows us to conclude that both xenophobic discourses and practices are articulated by racist imaginaries that have a stronger impact on migrant women.