To ignore the religious element in Portuguese colonialism in favour of hunger and greed would be to praise Biryani for its long grained rice and fragrant spices while ignoring the beef, mutton or chicken in it.
Roland Francis 416-453-3371 On Mon, Dec 2, 2024 at 3:12 PM <[email protected]> wrote: > The Portuguese intolerance in Goa until 1961 and in Mozambique until 1974 > had nothing to do with religion. It was hunger and greed in Portugal that > led many people to colonize and commit crimes in the colonies. The slave > trade is an example of this. They were not enslaved in the name of > religion. These arguments aim to whitewash Portuguese colonial history. > Missionary schools opened the eyes of colonized peoples in Africa. > > Alberto > > Sat, 30 Nov, 2024, 5:52 pm 'Nuno Cardoso da Silva' via Goa-Research-Net, < > [email protected]> wrote: > > Unfortunate as it may be, the fact is that religion has more often been a >> tool for violence and intolerance, than a tool for peace, love of one >> another and tolerance. Much of what we Portuguese did wrong in our colonial >> past was due to our fierce attachment to a particular religion. Just like >> much of what is being done wrong today in India has to do with a fanatical >> approach to religion by far too many people from all religious backgrounds. >> >> The Portuguese of the 21st century are not psychologically very different >> from the 16th century Portuguese. The difference is that we were then >> fiercely religious and care today very little about religion. As a result >> we find no difficulty in fully embracing in our community Hindus from India >> and Nepal, Muslims from Pakistan, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique, Shiites >> from the Ismaelite community, Orthodox Christians from Romania, the Ukraine >> and Russia. Most of us demand only two things to accept people as >> co-citizens: that they truly want to be part of our community and that they >> speak Portuguese. We are in no way superior to the people of India, and I >> have no doubt India would be as peaceful and tolerant a nation as we now >> are, once you stop being intolerant about people's religious beliefs. One >> may believe in God, but maybe one should stop thinking that God has any >> preference for any religion. It's what we do which matters, not what we >> believe in. Simple, but clearly so difficult to achieve, in Europe as well >> as in Asia... >> >> Nuno Cardoso da Silva >> >> >> *Sent:* Saturday, November 30, 2024 at 6:23 AM >> *From:* "V M" <[email protected]> >> *To:* "V M" <[email protected]> >> *Subject:* [GRN] Manu Pillai: "There are No Heroes or Villains in >> History" (O Heraldo, 30/11/2024) >> >> https://www.heraldgoa.in/cafe/manu-pillai-there-are-no-heroes-or-villains-in-history/416418 >> >> Religion and politics are an especially volatile mix in South Asia, >> cleaved apart so painfully on the basis of religion in 1947, and roiled on >> the same lines again in the 21st century, as majoritarianism surges on all >> sides of the post-Partition borders. Here in India, the main divide remains >> Hindu-Muslim, with painful consequences – from casual intimidation to >> ethnic cleansing – playing out in different locations However, in recent >> years, Sikhs and Sikhism have also been targeted as “anti-national”, and >> Goa has experienced many silly and childish provocations about Catholics >> and Catholicism, including recurring absurdities about who can and can’t be >> considered Goencho Saib. >> >> These slurs haven’t yet added up to much, and it would be unwise to >> overreact. However, the increasing conflation of myth and history by the >> state is an unhealthy trend. As the distinguished political scientist >> Niraja Gopal Jayal reminds us: “In effect, it is an attempt to construe >> Indian citizenship as faith-based, in consonance with the idea of a Hindu >> majoritarian nation, of which Hindus are natural citizens while Muslims, in >> this view, properly belong to Pakistan or Bangladesh. Perfecting this >> congruence is the object of the new project of citizenship.” >> >> Catholics in Goa – and Christians in India – have not been primary >> targets in this scenario, and in fact Joseph Francis Pereira – a Pakistani >> of Goan origin – was one of the first beneficiaries of the new Citizenship >> Amendment Act, which allows Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Christians and >> Buddhists (but not Muslims) from the neighboring countries to become Indian >> citizens if they entered before 2014. >> >> Yet, there are warning signs, as the senior academic Peter Ronald de >> Souza shared in a recent column in *Indian Express*: “A few days ago, >> during an argument (in a WhatsApp group), I was told to "go back to >> Portugal". Not one to take such abuse without a fight, I responded and >> asked my adversary to “go back to Afghanistan”. He was outraged. "I’m not >> from Afghanistan," he roared. "Well, I’m not from Portugal," I said. Two >> things come together in this brief exchange that are worth thinking about. >> My name and his outrage. For him I was obviously the outsider and, equally >> obviously, he was the insider. Both for him were self-evidently true. In >> this exchange, my argumentativeness faced his righteous anger. He said he >> was confronting me because I was evil. That we went to school together more >> than half a century ago did not matter.” >> >> Palpably upset, de Souza writes “I must honestly admit I was surprised at >> the vitriol. What began as a discussion on an Indian festival, soon >> descended into a toxic spat watched by others who, in their silence, >> appeared to endorse his views that it was inadmissible for me to talk about >> things Indian, especially Indian culture. What did I know? And who was I >> anyway? An Indian on probation! Now I know what Draupadi must have felt in >> the assembly when she asked the custodians of dharma her question. They did >> not answer. They remained silent.” >> >> “Who belongs? Who does not belong? What kind of state is being >> re-engineered by Hindu nationalism, and where did the historical impetus >> come from?” Precisely when it is needed most to help address these >> questions, Manu Pillai’s lucid, brilliant new *Gods, Guns and >> Missionaries: The Making of the Modern Hindu Identity* is an invaluable >> primer on India’s encounter with Western colonialism, and “the context in >> which Hindu nationalism – Hindutva, so dominant now in India – found its >> *raison >> d'être*. [It is] a survey of 400 years at most – a span that supplies >> the historical setting and much of the emotional stimulus empowering >> present-day Hinduism.” >> >> All serious students of Goan history are strongly urged to read Gods, >> Guns and Missionaries for the way it begins alone, a deft and masterly >> treatment of colonialism and conversion in the Estado da Índia. This brave >> young author – he was born in 1990 – pulls no punches, but also refrains >> from cheap shots. This clear-eyed, sure-footed approach is both refreshing >> and absolutely required, because the subject is such a potent mix of >> history, religion and politics. Here is just one passage, for flavour: “the >> Portuguese came into everyday contact with Hindus, armed with scarce >> knowledge but copious pre-judgement. The encounter took barely a generation >> to turn violent. One factor was that the colonizer’s rigid religiosity had >> grown stiffer still in reaction to the anti-Catholic Reformation occurring >> in Europe. That is, with the emerging Protestant movement accusing the >> Catholic church of perverting the faith, Catholic powers had a special >> necessity to demonstrate unequivocal Christian credentials. And here, their >> newly acquired Indian enclaves offered a parade ground, packed as they were >> with devil-worshipping pagans.” >> >> To be sure, all this is familiar ground to historians, but serious >> scholarship about these episodes is almost never knitted together, >> understood or presented with as much panache and storytelling flair as *Gods, >> Guns and Missionaries*. Via email, Pillai told me that “history in our >> country--and perhaps elsewhere too--is not merely a rational, academic >> inquiry into the past. It is an emotional, political affair. My very first >> book invited a Rs 5 crore defamation notice, so I know the risks and perils >> involved in presenting complexities from the past. In this context, >> historicising religious identities can provoke all kinds of responses. "The >> truth" pales here in comparison with how people interpret history to create >> "their truth" in the present or as groups; to find meaning by reading >> history a certain way. This is true of all communities and identities >> everywhere in the world. But today we are also seeing an active cultivation >> of animosity by exacerbating elements of divergence in these narratives. >> So, when writing a book on modern religious identity formation, yes there >> is a fear that some of its contents can be hijacked. Similarly, one can >> also be "cancelled" by different sides for not reinforcing their respective >> ideological positions. One chapter in the book might annoy the Left and >> please the Right. Another might achieve the reverse. But this is the risk >> of doing what I do today. One can't do history if worried about reactions. >> Even when one is aware of the risks involved in these reactions.” >> >> As the topic is especially relevant in this Exposition year, I asked >> Pillai what to make of the paradox of “Saint” Francis Xavier – an >> unstinting zealot who believed in the superiority of his faith – becoming >> converted after death into an all-inclusive Indian holy man, who is >> addressed by pilgrims from every religion to answer their prayers. He >> responded thoughtfully: "We must always view historical figures in their >> time and context. Xavier and his proselytising work stemmed from a vision >> of the world that emerged from his cultural background, the history of his >> part of the world, his education etc. The responses of his brown >> interlocutors were also similarly influenced. There is also in this >> equation the political power of the Portuguese and their own imperial >> goals, which skewed the field in favour of one side over another. We should >> be able to speak of this transparently while also recognising that >> historical dynamics also evolve and change. The same Portuguese state's >> attitudes shifted over time; the memory of Xavier and his work also >> changed. These too are real historical processes. History is full of >> contradictions. In the battle between "sides" today we can lose sight of >> this. There are no heroes and villains in history. Often the same >> characters in different contexts can look heroic or villainous, depending >> on the prism, the location of the viewer, and so on.” >> >> Pillai acknowledges that it is difficult to have honest and open >> discussions about historical-religious-political issues in India at the >> moment, but they must occur nonetheless: “I think conversations help. >> Remember that outside of certain political constituencies, most human >> beings can take a sensible view of things. It is this mature, reasonable >> tendency that must be cultivated. By reacting to others, and their setting >> of the terms, we play into their game. Instead, we must engage in dialogue, >> speak of Xavier the complex, sometimes "negative" figure while also >> recognising the equally historical phenomenon of Xavier as he came to be >> recognised and reinterpreted in these same communities, not just by >> Catholics but also Hindus. I always say that most things in history are not >> a case of "either/or". The word we must embrace is "and". But this is >> admittedly easier said than done. I don't know if I have a solution other >> than dialogue, and engagement in good faith.” >> >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Goa-Research-Net" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> To view this discussion, visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/CAN1wPW65jLiSwu-Zp-NFhDSLJ40Lp4Ua_5KH2urrQdBm2Lhxng%40mail.gmail.com >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/CAN1wPW65jLiSwu-Zp-NFhDSLJ40Lp4Ua_5KH2urrQdBm2Lhxng%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Goa-Research-Net" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> To view this discussion, visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/trinity-9fad9968-f92c-46e7-9502-353eb886cd1c-1732968621731%403c-app-mailcom-bs07 >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/trinity-9fad9968-f92c-46e7-9502-353eb886cd1c-1732968621731%403c-app-mailcom-bs07?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Goa-Research-Net" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to > [email protected] > . > To view this discussion, visit > > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/CAGVMO%2BuFpNRSjQWMa4W-gmJF-jQOMpktjt2Jx7rrZdMzV5--bw%40mail.gmail.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/CAGVMO%2BuFpNRSjQWMa4W-gmJF-jQOMpktjt2Jx7rrZdMzV5--bw%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > > . > > > ----- Fim da mensagem de Crispino Lobo <[email protected]> ----- > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Goa-Research-Net" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion, visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/20241202095922.Horde.2PK63Txk5COycKX4L8q2U22%40mail.sapo.pt > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/20241202095922.Horde.2PK63Txk5COycKX4L8q2U22%40mail.sapo.pt?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Goa-Research-Net" group. 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