Brazilian concentration camps for drought refugees 1915/1932

At the turn of the twentieth century, Northeast Brazil suffered some of the most severe droughts ever recorded, popularly known as the Terrible Years. Displaced families from the inlands were forced to seek refuge by relocating to the coastal and capital cities of the region. These drought refugees were called flagelados (flagellated in Portuguese), a demeaning term used strategically to reinforce their status as poor and landless individuals. In response to this crisis, local and national governments constructed temporary concentration camps in 1915 and again in 1932, which mobilized and sheltered more than 150,000 people. These camps operated not only as sites of aid but also as mechanisms for organizing and controlling labor power. This strategy was officially established by the Brazilian government to manage refugee populations in need, while simultaneously advancing ideals of modernization, progress, and national development. Once the droughts ended, the camps were dismantled, but the long-lasting effects of these physical and social structures remain present in the everyday lives of the Nordestinos , the people from Northeast Brazil. This paper argues that urban modernization in Northeast Brazil is deeply entangled with the legacy of these drought concentration camps and the resettlement of rural flagelados . The camps reflect histories of care, control, and exploitation that connect directly to ongoing injustices today. Drawing on archival material, medical surveys, and reports from the Brazilian national agency combating droughts (DNOCS), and engaging with the emerging theoretical framework of “camp studies,” this paper sheds new light on a core episode of Brazilian history. Within this framework, it examines the role of the built environment in shaping social and political order, while contributing to broader discussions on the construction and consequences of environments for climate refugees.