No arms other than paper: Salvador Torrents and the formation of migrant identity in northern Australia, 1916-50

Abstract

This article investigates northern Australia’s Spanish-speaking community, in order to probe the formation of migrant identity and the perception of Australian society. The community communicated extensively with other members of the global Hispanic Diaspora throughout Europe and the Americas, and used this correspondence to reflect on their experiences in Australia. One individual in particular, Salvador Torrents, wrote a large number of articles and short stories, demonstrating the complex interplay between local and international issues. Migrants used this interaction of local and global events, and the framework provided by transnational radical Hispanic debate, to critique Australian society and migrants’ place within it.