In or Out: A Biblioteca Casa da Saudade em New Bedford, Massachusetts, Estados Unidos da América do Norte

Abstract

The purpose of our work was to reflect on the role of the Casa da Saudade Library, the only Portuguese­‑language American public library for Portuguese immigrants in New Bedford, Massachusetts, USA. The specific objectives were: i) to investigate whether Casa was a facilitator of the social INclusion of the Portuguese immigrants, its users; ii) to analyze if Casa was a stronghold of cultural affirmation of the community of Portuguese immigrants from the various Portuguese regions. Focusing on the search for information about Casa as a possible facilitator of INclusion, we found out that it set itself apart from the role of the conventional library as a mere bookkeeper and, at the service of the “invisible majority”, it became a space for social Inclusion, promoting intercultural knowledge. We observed Casa in its counter­‑hegemonic dimension, affirming Portuguese cultures and language, requiring a more in­‑depth investigation, applied to the research of the counter­‑hegemonic intercultural library, deconstructing the notion of the conventional library as a “book container” where community dynamics perish. We concluded that Casa is a good example of how libraries, be they public, scholastic or academic, can go further and become spaces of active participation for the social INCLUSION of the linguistic, social and cultural diversity of users who receive.