Spot on, FN! Brilliantly analysed. Tino On Sat, Jul 5, 2025 at 7:22 PM [email protected] < [email protected]> wrote:
> Portuguese bias and discrimination (during their early rule of Goa > especially) against the Muslims who were ruling Goa just prior has been > widely accepted and acknowledged, as are their anti-Jewish policies for > some period of the Empire (even though some prominent sections of the > Jewish population also played a crucial role in propping up the colonial > State at other points of its history). But are we heading for several > sweeping generalisations and conflating distinct categories in ways that > can mislead? > > - Jewish colony: There is no substantial historical evidence of a > formal, self-governing Jewish colony in Portuguese Goa akin to those seen > in places like Cochin (today's Kochi), Cranganore (Kannur), or the Middle > East. > - Conflating “Jews” with “New Christians” obscures the reality: The > Inquisition in Goa did not target Jews as a distinct ethnic or religious > minority openly practicing Judaism, but rather Portuguese New Christians > (converted Jews and their descendants) suspected of secretly maintaining > Jewish practices. While their Jewish heritage did matter symbolically to > the Inquisition, they were prosecuted within the framework of Christian > heresy, not religious pluralism. > - Garcia de Orta’s fate reflects complexity, not anomaly: Even > assuming all we believe about the Inquisition is true (cf. Alan Machado), > Orta died in 1568 before the formal installation of the Goan Inquisition > (1560s onward in practice, with full tribunals active by the 1570s). This > tragic episode does not prove the presence of a coherent Jewish community, > some of whom faced action depending on their utility to the Portuguese > State, but rather illustrates how individuals of Jewish descent lived under > intense suspicion, even decades after conversion at certain points of > Portuguese history. Someone made the point that, across history,, Jewish > populations were probably treated better in the Middle East, than in > Europe. > - Disappearance of the "community" was not solely due to persecution: > The category had already been erased institutionally by conversion > (sometimes undertaken under duress and pressure) and assimilation centuries > earlier. Those of Jewish descent either assimilated fully into Christian > society; migrated (possibly to Dutch or Ottoman territories); or were > absorbed into the broader category of Luso-Goans. > - The "Lingering Memory" claim needs caution: This is plausible claim > but it is difficult to verify without risking to fall into speculative > theorising or retrospective identity construction. FN > > -- > 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/8454e134-5876-4d2b-8f3f-fa84770585ddn%40googlegroups.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/8454e134-5876-4d2b-8f3f-fa84770585ddn%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- *Dr. Anthony de Sa, IAS (Retd), PhD**, FRICS, MPA (Harvard)* *Former Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh,* *Former Chairman, MP Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA)* *Mobile (WhatsApp): +91-9810981818* *e-mail: [email protected] <[email protected]>* * [email protected] <[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/CAPf%3DrhskcNwYEkjBP303P09ZGWFY8ntmGs104HwKj5%2BEtLmGpQ%40mail.gmail.com.
