---------- Forwarded message --------- De: António Colaço <pimentelcol...@gmail.com> Date: segunda, 1/03/2021 à(s) 11:46 Subject: Re: [GRN] How long will ... (or some ideas on the so-called 'Goan Identity' To: Goa-Research-Net <goa-research-...@googlegroups.com>
Concerning Goan Identity I do respect all the expressed perspectives. I'm a goan, 82 years old, born and bred in Ribandar - which I visit every three years, until recently. I came to Portugal, when I was 19 years old, to proceed with my Law studies, having ended up as Justice of the Supreme Court of Justice (jubilado) - Lisbon. At that time, there of course existed a goan identity, coinciding with the original goan community.during the long period of portuguese colonialism. However, from the then existing 400/450.000 people, the population of Goa, since 1961 boosted to above 1.800.000 habitants, giving rise to the formation of a new goan identity. New human social relationships were established, new social behaviour, customs and habits.This does not entitle us to say that there may be many goan identities. Goan identity is one and the same, however changeable in its composition in accordance with evolution and time. The least we can afford to say is that of an *absorption* of the goan identity existing in Portuguese times by the uprising identity from 1961. Let me explain my idea in more detail. Groupal identity is a *dynamic social reality*. This identity is sustained by successive *generations. *Based on the average span of time of each generation being more or less that of 30 years, we can assume that, due to the colonial impact being unaltered (same colonizer and the same social local stratum) the successive generations (15) brought insignificant changes in the social sphere, and as such one can refer to a an homogeneous identity on the goan people - hence the goan identity of that epoch ( it must be remembered that that colonialism inGoa lasted 450 years, whereas the historical Empires (Mauryan <Emperor Ashoka>), Kadambas or Vijyanagar) lasted less time). But with the annexation of Goa, the incoming non-goan migrants from the other parts of India, contributed for an increase in population 4,5 times superior than the one existing during the portuguese occupation. This process, that started circa 58 years ago covers practically 2 new generations, mixing harmoniously the original goans and the new-comers migrants, giving rightfully rise to the actual goan identity, is certainly to last long. So, if one wants to refer to the goan society existing during the portuguese time, it would be more correct to express it as the *goan community. António Bernardo Colaço * . >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >>