Imigração e interculturalidade em uma perspectiva semiótica

Abstract

The topic of immigration is a vast field of research for the sciences of meaning. Among these, discursive semiotics can help to understand how Brazilian culture deals with the meanings of otherness. The objective of this study is to discuss immigrant cuisine, its meanings, and its objects in order to understand the cultural dynamics that underpin the interaction between immigrants and Brazilian society. To this end, we discuss the notion of culture through the lens of semiotics and then propose an understanding of the concept of interculturality, which we believe is more appropriate for the dynamics between identity and otherness. Finally, we present a brief analysis of a Filipino restaurant in the city of São Paulo to highlight the manifestation of interculturality and the way in which immigrants negotiate their meanings in relation to Brazilian patrons. We hope, thus, to contribute to the understanding of the meanings produced from the interactions that occur within the space of interculturality in contemporary societies.