Medieval Goa: A Socio-Economic History

by Teotónio R. de Souza

When Medieval Goa first appeared three decades ago, it represented a significant break in the tradition of Indo-Portuguese historiography, until then markedly Luso-Indian, even when Goan native historians were the authors. Medieval Goa represented an effort to question the biases of the colonial historiography, while avoiding to fall prey to equally questionable triumphs of nationalism. Medieval Goa covers a period which is generally regarded as the early Modern period in the West. However, we prefer to maintain the earlier designation, in common with the corresponding periodisation of the Indian historiography. Besides whatever semblance of modernity the Portuguese colonial regime brought to India, Goa had to wait for it until the 18th century or almost the 19th century, and that was largely due to the English intervention in the economy of Portuguese India through the Anglo-Portuguese treaty, the setting up of the railway link, and forcing the end of the Inquisition. It focuses the stage-lights upon the rural population as affected by the bustling urban and metropolitan politics. The main actors of Medieval Goa are the ordinary people of the city and the countryside. Their voice had been little heard, if it was heard at all, in the prestigious and magisterial works of the well-known historians of the Portuguese expansion. It Rivals and Neighbours Rural Economy and Corporate Life The Goan Rural Heritage Agrarian Organisation and Praxis Rural Social Life Urban Economy and Municipal Organisation Urban Topography and Demography Municipal Organisation and Policies Urban Economic Life Bibliographical Essay Glossary Bibliography

Genres: India

280 pages, Paperback

Published August 20, 2009

About the author

Teotonio R. de Souza completed Master's and PhD in History at the University of Poona (1970-1977). Was professed member of the Society of Jesus (1967-1994), collaborated in founding the Xavier Centre of Historical Research, Goa since 1976 and was its Director in 1979-1994. PhD guide in History of the Goa University (1985-1994) and visiting Professor of Jnana Deepa Vidyapeeth (Poona) and Vidyajyoti (Delhi) during 1980-1994. Recovered Portuguese citizenship in 1995, and retired as Professor and Head of the Department of History of the Universidade Lusófona in Lisboa (1996-2014). Fellow of the Portuguese Academy of History since 1983 and of the Sociedade de Geografia de Lisboa since 2000.

Reviews

[Bob Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

a pioneering work

When I first saw this book, I thought it would be a history of Goa in OUR medieval period---that is, roughly between the Norman Conquest of England and the Renaissance. At least, that's what "medieval" always meant to me, not a history professional. So, upon reading it, I was surprised to find that it covered the seventeenth century. I suppose that it could refer to a "middle age" all right, the time between the Portuguese days of glory and control of Indian Ocean shipping and the decay and basic collapse of the once-vibrant port of Goa in the eighteenth. Or, the author might have called Goa "medieval" because he felt that Goa needed some changes to jolt it out of its mindset at the time.

Goa, a port (and surrounding territory) on the western coast of India, served as capital of small kingdoms and formed part of larger ones over the centuries. In 1510 it was seized by the Portuguese, who aimed at control of all shipping in the area from the Indies to southern Africa. It became the base of all their operations, both commercial, military and religious for over a century. With the rise of Dutch and English power, Portugal's hold over the sea lanes and many ports studded around the Indian Ocean littoral like limpets on rocks began to decline in the 17th century, the focus of this book. Goa eventually became a small, sleepy enclave on the immense body of India. It was liberated in 1961 and now forms a state in the Indian republic. Over the centuries many travellers described it; there were a substantial amount of records. Most, however, concerned the Portuguese activities, not those of the Indian inhabitants, Catholic or otherwise. MEDIEVAL GOA is one of the first modern scholarly attempts to show what life was like for the majority of the people in Goa. It covers a variety of topics, from village organization, taxation, laws and justice to provisions for social welfare, the layout of the city of Goa itself, demography, and the steady dominance of trade in economic life. Then there are chapters on municipal organization and policies and on guilds and their rules. The last chapter discusses markets. Besides all this information, which had not been available to a person looking for a single source, De Souza provides an excellent bibliographical essay, plus many letters and documents relevant to his theme. Continuing the tradition of Charles Boxer, De Souza opened up the field of Goan history to a much wider audience. Many others have followed over the last 37 years. I won't say it is "bedtime reading", but for anyone interested in the history of this small Indian region, it's probably a must. A new edition appeared in 2009.

[Nádia Rodrigues · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite medieval, it focus on the XVII-XVIII century. However it is a unique work, who brings light over a not so well known chapter of the Goan history - the one that is not written by the Portuguese.