A EMERGÊNCIA DISCURSIVA DO CONCEITO DE 'PIONEIRO ITALIANO' COMO MARCADOR IDENTITÁRIO E DELIMITADOR DE FRONTEIRAS ÉTNICAS

This paper aims to analyze how the term "Italian Pioneer" has emerged in the northeast part of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, the term is understood as an identity mark and it sets out an ethic boundary between the 'Brazilians' and the immigrants and the descendant of Italian immigrants. The methodology used is bibliography review and ethnography research. We consider that the concept emerges simultaneously with the political and economic rise of Italian immigrants and their descendants.