Questioning Identities The Return to Portugal in Portuguese-American Literature Medeiros, Brianna Brown University Author articles articles riu Providence, RI Brown University 2014 2014 eng 16 reformatted digital Questions of acculturation and changes in perceived identity are recurring and central themes in various works of Portuguese-American literature, as immigrants and descendants make negotiations between their two cultures. The topics are placed in an interesting context when another vital question arises: that of the immigrant or descendant’s return to Portugal, whether for a visit or a permanent return to their native land. The Portugal that the Portuguese-Americans return to is no longer the Portugal they remembered or imagined, nor are they the same people that departed from their home nation only to later be influenced by the culture of the receiving nation. Not only is this often noticed by the immigrants but, further, also by those who did not leave; those who opted to stay in Portugal often see emigrants as no longer being equally Portuguese, but instead, now as Americans. Due to the potential impact the experience of returning to the homeland has on the perceived identity of the migrant, making it an important aspect to the immigrant experience, many Portuguese-American works refer to this theme, be it as it may in varying degrees. In this essay, I will analyze Barnacle Love, by Anthony De Sa; Hard Knocks: An Azorean-American Odyssey and “Como Escrever O Teu Retrato, Pai?” by Francisco Cota Fagundes; “Os Azares da Vida,” by Laura Bulger; “A família do Jànim Rapoza vai às festas do Santo Cristo” by Onésimo Teotónio Almeida; and “Lisbon Story,” by Katherine Vaz, examining the many facets of the return to the homeland: the reasons for such, how the migrant reconciles the differences not only between the familiar Portugal and the one in which he or she now finds himself or herself but, further, his or her own internal differences, how the migrant and descendant is regarded upon arrival, and, finally, the culture clashes that ensue between the two groups. Identity Return in Literature Portuguese American literature Immigrant experience Cultural negotiation Identidade Retorno Literatura Luso-Americana Experiência imigrante Negociação cultural 36 vol. 101 116 Gávea-Brown vol. 36 10.26300/b0h1-z466