Canottieri Ducca degli Abruzzi (1908-1963): the nationalization of the rowing Club of the Italians in Porto Alegre

Abstract

The Club Italiano Canottieri Ducca degli Abruzzi was established by Italian immigrants and their descendents in 1908, in Porto Alegre (RS). This association was identified as the ‘Italian Rowing Club’ because its main practice was rowing and, for a long time, to be a space for the affirmation of Italian identity. After three decades of its establishment, the club suffered a heavy blow in its cultural identity, caused by the nationalization of sports clubs. This study has the objective of comprehending the occurrence of the nationalization process of the Canottieri Ducca degli Abruzzi at the beginning of the 1940’s in Porto Alegre. The perused printed sources denote that Canottieri offered certain resistance to the nationalization campaign imposed during the Estado Novo (1937-1945) in spite of the name change to “Clube de Regatas Duque de Caxias” in 1942, due to the heavy strain supported in the World War II period (1939-1945). Moreover, books and proceedings, records and other documents started to be composed in Portuguese. The “Italian” language could not be used in communication between the association members.