*** GoanetReader: Subaltern elites in Portuguese Asia (Teotonio R de Souza)
-- || |Goanetters annual meet in Goa is scheduled for Dec 27, 2005 @ 4pm | || |The Riviera Opposite Hotel Mandovi, Panjim (near Ferry Jetty/Riverfront)| || -- Subaltern elites in Portuguese Asia The Azorean episcopacy as a subaltern elite of the Portuguese colonial rule in Asia, 1942-1953 Teotonio R. de Souza [EMAIL PROTECTED] I shall delve more extensively on the Archbishop-Patriarch of Goa, D. Jose da Costa Nunes, because he symbolises better than any other Azorean bishop in Asia the role of the subaltern elite that I am proposing for this study. There is another reason for choosing the Indian theatre of their action, rather than Macau or any other. As stated by his successor, D. Jose Alvernaz, It was in India that the Padroado came under its severest attacks, and the campaign against the Portuguese missionary activities drew most the world attention. By choosing to analyze the functioning of D. Jose da Costa Nunes, I see him as a representative of an Azorean subaltern elite. There was another such elite of Goan origin since mid 19th century, namely the Goan doctors. We could think of yet a third colonial elite at the service of the Portuguese colonial interests, namely the Cape Verdians, in administrative service in Portuguese Africa. There were Azorean bishops in Asia in the 17th and early 18th centuries, but they belonged largely to religious orders and do not fit into the category described here. From late 19th century, we begin to see bishops originating from secular and rural background, trained at the Angra seminary and with higher studies at Gregorian University in Rome. That is when we start seeing the rise of a kind of self-promoting clan. The growing challenges to the Church under liberal and republican regimes at home and the growing trend of anti-colonialism in Asia, made the role of the Azorean episcopacy particularly important for the empire. Even though Goa had been the major source of supply of clergymen for the Padroado, the Azoreans were the preferred candidates for handling the episcopal responsibilities. Why were there so many Azorean bishops in Portuguese Asia since late 19th century? It could have a very simple or rather simplistic explanation in the tendency of the Azoreans to migrate from their island-homes which threatens them with a regular frequency of volcanic eruptions and their tragic consequences in the form of earthquakes, famines, etc. But the main reason lies elsewhere: the Azoreans are predominantly white-skinned descendants of European colonizers and have no language or culture of their own, substantially different from that of the Portuguese. The capacity of the Azorean bishops to promote other fellow-Azoreans may not have succeeded as it did, if the State did not have also its own axe to grind. The Azoreans were looked upon as the right type of human resource, culturally identical and politically reliable, to control the souls of the imperial subjects in Asia. It should not be very difficult to understand my choice of the Gramscian concept of subalternity. Reduced to subalternity among the colonial powers, particularly after their loss of control over great part of Asia, and with a status further weakened by the loss of Brazil, the Portuguese had to opt for subaltern chain of commands to make the best of its weakened imperial centre. Hard pressed after independence of Brazil to find an alternate source of exploration in Africa, the Portuguese had to overcome the tropical diseases that made of Africa a graveyard for the white Europeans. That is when Goa's long tradition in handling tropical diseases at the Royal Hospital came handy. It was decided to create the Escola Medica in Goa, but the native medics trained there were deemed fit to serve in Portuguese colonies of Africa and Asia, but they could not exercise their medical profession in Portugal without additional training and tests. Cristiana Bastos has been studying this aspect of subalternity of the Goan doctors. I propose that her analysis be extended to include other subaltern elites of the empire. The Azorean bishops too were doing praiseworthy job in the service of the empire, but hardly any of them got any posting in continental Portugal, not even D. Jose da Costa Nunes, who so staunchly defended colonial interests in India in the post-independence phase of resistance to Portuguese colonial presence. When the archbishop resigned in 1953, the Portuguese government found for
*** Goanet News Bytes * Dec 27, 2005 * Festive season on in Goa, with crowds in the state...
-- || |Goanetters annual meet in Goa is scheduled for Dec 27, 2005 @ 4pm | || |The Riviera Opposite Hotel Mandovi, Panjim (near Ferry Jetty/Riverfront)| || -- ,--,.---..--. .-. .-.,---. ___Estb 1994 .' .'/ .-. ) / /\ \ | \| || .-'|__ __| | | __ | | |(_)/ /__\ \| | || `-. )| | \ \ ( _)| | | | | __ || |\ || .-' (_) |`--- \ `-) )\ `-' / | | |)|| | |)|| `--. | | )\/ )---' |_| (_)/( (_)/( __.' `-' (__) (_)(__) (__) - Goanet global links * December 27, 2005 - o Goa has formed a top-level team -- comprising members from the PWD, health department, irrigation department, fire services, police and other concerned departments, to handle any disaster that may hit the State. (H) o Fun, frolic descends on Goa this festive season. (H) o Visitors to Goa find getting rather tricky, as there is a very obvious lack of street and other signs to allow visitors to find exactly where they are. (H) o It's proving to be a big headache to get coconut pluckers in Goa, a state which has seas of coconut trees. (H) o Electricity Dept has few men to power up Vasco. (H) o Varca panchayat documents gutted. (H) o NCERT syllabus in Goa schools soon, says Luizinho.(H) o A mother and her two children, aged one and two years old, were killed when a compound wall of an industry collapsed at the Kundaim industrial estate, at 5 pm on Monday. They were resting next to the wall. DigitalGoa.com o Two killed in an accident at Palyem, Pernem on the night of Sunday-Monday. DigitalGoa.com . Goanetters meet up in Goa, today, December 27, 2005 at 4 pm at the Riviera, near the Panjim Ferry Jetty. If you get lost or plan to attend contact 9822 122436. . - OBITUARIES - MOIRA: Leonildes Maciel, Sataporio b 1915. NUVEM: Benedicto B Fernandes, Benedict Tailor, Dongorim PANJIM: Carlos Evaristo Fernandes, of St Tome SIOLIM: Sr Colette Vaz, Sister of the Cross. UCASSAIM: Anthony Feliciano D'Souza, sub-officer, Goa Fire Force - THOUGHTS FOR X'MAS - Don't 'X' Christ out of CHRISTMAS (Composed by Clare Braganza) Does X'mas mean just Christmas trees, Silver-bells, holly, Santa 'n' reindeers? With presents galore festive cheers; Or gleeful bottled smiles and tears? Do we Christians 'x' out the messages, That proclaimed God's divine passages? When 'A virgin' bore the child of all ages, That promised to turn all historical pages? Evergreens, despite the nuclear freeze Snowflakes that magically float the breeze Hopes that prompt us to hug and squeeze A 'pause' of warmth in our life's lease! Pagan festivities were often over writ In sanctimoniously religious myth; The natural truth that God liveth In Christ Jesus so compassionate So be that star that guided folk To the wonder of that glorious stroke That gave the world a feast that broke In warmth, amidst the wintry yoke Don't 'x' out Christ from Christmas Day For the world still needs to see the Way As nature redeems the links that fray So peace will bloom, come what may! Thank God, for Christmas Day!! Let the world join in and say God walked the earth this way And shone in love's lightful array! Source: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To join: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CGNet/join - WHAT GOANETTERS THINK: A CYBER-OPINION POLL - Which Konkani script do you prefer to learn/use? Romi/Roman script Devnagari script Kannada script I'm not interested in learning/using Konkani Undecided/ Indifferent Total votes: 362 Cast your vote: http://www.goanet.org (right hand side) OTHER LINKS ON GOANET: http://www.goanet.org/modules.php?op=modloadname=NS-Pollsfile=indexpollID=19 GOANET AE http://www.goanet.org/modules.php?op=modloadname=Newsfile=articlesid=216 BOOKS: Blood Nemesis - Ben Antao, 2005 The novel is set in Goa during Portuguese times during the freedom struggle. Several reviews included. - RELIGION
