Carcamano
Encyclopedia
Carcamano (ˌkaʁkɐˈmɐ̃nu) is an ethnic slur used in Southern Brazil
for the descendants of the non-Iberian
Europe
an immigrants who arrived in Brazil in the late 19th century and in the early 20th century.
This name was originally given to the Italian-Brazilians—the largest non-Iberian European community in Brazil—but was slowly spread to other non-Iberian white Brazilian
communities like German-Brazilian
s, Slavic-Brazilians and others..
In some regions of Northeastern Brazil (especially the states of Maranhão
and Ceará
), this term is also used for Brazilian Jews and Arab Brazilian
s.
The term comes from the southern Italian dialects. The authentic word is carcamanu. Carcamano is composed of two separate words. Carca- refers to the corruption of the infinitive carcare, which means "to press down" and -mano for mão ("hand"). The idea was to refer to the foreigner, probably of Italian origin, of pressing down on the scales when weighing goods in the dry goods store. It is a way of calling the vendor a cheat. This is now generalized to dishonest practices directed to foreigners of Italian descent.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
for the descendants of the non-Iberian
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an immigrants who arrived in Brazil in the late 19th century and in the early 20th century.
This name was originally given to the Italian-Brazilians—the largest non-Iberian European community in Brazil—but was slowly spread to other non-Iberian white Brazilian
White Brazilian
White Brazilians make up 48.4% of Brazil's population, or around 92 million people, according to the IBGE's 2008 PNAD . Whites are present in the entire territory of Brazil, although the main concentrations are found in the South and Southeastern parts of the country...
communities like German-Brazilian
German-Brazilian
A German Brazilian is a Brazilian person of ethnic German ancestry or origin...
s, Slavic-Brazilians and others..
In some regions of Northeastern Brazil (especially the states of Maranhão
Maranhão
Maranhão is a northeastern state of Brazil. To the north lies the Atlantic Ocean. Maranhão is neighbored by the states of Piauí, Tocantins and Pará. The people of Maranhão have a distinctive accent...
and Ceará
Ceará
Ceará is one of the 27 states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It is currently the 8th largest Brazilian State by population and the 17th by area. It is also one of the main touristic destinations in Brazil. The state capital is the city of...
), this term is also used for Brazilian Jews and Arab Brazilian
Arab Brazilian
An Arab Brazilian is a Brazilian citizen born in an Arabic country, or a Brazilian-born person of Arab descent, who is aware of such ancestry and remains connected, in some degree, to Arabic culture.- Immigration to Brazil :...
s.
The term comes from the southern Italian dialects. The authentic word is carcamanu. Carcamano is composed of two separate words. Carca- refers to the corruption of the infinitive carcare, which means "to press down" and -mano for mão ("hand"). The idea was to refer to the foreigner, probably of Italian origin, of pressing down on the scales when weighing goods in the dry goods store. It is a way of calling the vendor a cheat. This is now generalized to dishonest practices directed to foreigners of Italian descent.