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Onesimo Almeida
Azoreans in America
A group of islands in the middle of the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean, the Azores are the birthplace or ancestral home of most Portuguese Americans in southeastern New England. While politically they are part of Portugal, the Azores have their own history, literature, and cultural traditions. Learn about the events and environmental factors that shaped the islanders' heritage and about the ways Azorean immigrants have maintained their cultural ties while adapting to life in the United States.
Portuguese-American Stories
A look at a Portuguese-American community of Rhode Island through the reading of some of the stories from Tales from the Tenth Island, by Onesimo T. Almeida (English translation by David Brookshaw from the Portuguese original Sapateia Americana). The author will place the stories in the social and cultural milieu of the Portuguese0American world. After the reading he will offer additional insights into the world where they occur. An open discussion will follow.
The Portuguese Discoveries
All Americans learn in school about Columbus discovering the New World, and many remember that he was an Italian in the service of Spain, but few people know that the great navigator acquired his skills in Portugal. In the 15th and 16th centuries Portugal was the leading nation in the exploration of regions beyond European frontiers. What motivated the Portuguese to venture into unfamiliar territories? How did Portugal impact the cultural traditions of the regions it "discovered" and, in many cases, occupied? This presentation offers an historical overview of a small nation's bold expeditions into the larger world. It also touches on the many contributions that Portuguese immigrants have offered to the cultural heritage of New England.
Onesimo Almeida is a native of Portugal’s Azores islands and is Professor in the Department of Portuguese and Brazilian Studies at Brown University. He researches and lectures on Portuguese intellectual and cultural history as well as on Azorean literary and cultural history. The author of more than a dozen books, Almeida also writes regularly for the Portuguese press both in Portugal and in the United States and Canada.
Needs: Chalkboard or whiteboard