Goan-ness, as an identity, is not a static essence rooted in a mythical precolonial past, nor is it a mere byproduct of colonial imposition. Rather, it is a dynamic, decolonial process—an ongoing act of resistance, adaptation, and creation by Goans under and beyond the shadow of Portuguese colonization.
Drawing on the philosophical insights of Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò, Homi K. Bhabha, and Luce Irigaray, this study argues that Goan-ness exemplifies decolonial agency through processes of mimicry, hybridization, and relational becoming. Far from seeking a “pure” precolonial state, Goan-ness is a living project, continually forged in the crucible of historical struggle and cultural negotiation, embodying a decoloniality that is both rooted and in-the-making.
Goan-ness as Decolonial Agency: Táíwò’s Framework
Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò’s concept of decoloniality emphasizes agency as a central force in dismantling colonial structures. In Against Decolonisation (2022), Táíwò critiques romanticized notions of decolonization that fetishize a return to precolonial purity, arguing instead for a forward-looking, pragmatic approach that centers the agency of colonized peoples to reshape their worlds. For Táíwò, decoloniality is not about erasing colonial legacies but about repurposing them to serve the needs and aspirations of the present and future.
Goan-ness, in this light, emerges as a quintessential expression of decolonial agency. Under Portuguese rule (1510–1961), Goans navigated a complex colonial matrix—marked by religious conversion, linguistic shifts, and cultural imposition—while actively crafting an identity that resisted total assimilation.
This agency is evident in the ways Goans engaged with Catholicism, a cornerstone of Portuguese colonialism. Rather than passively adopting it, many Goans hybridized Catholic practices with local traditions, creating syncretic forms of worship. For instance, the veneration of saints in Goan villages often mirrors devotional practices, with lighting of candles and use of flowers etc. This was not mere capitulation but a strategic act of cultural survival and reinvention, aligning with Táíwò’s view of decoloniality as a process of active, creative adaptation.Goan agency also manifested in resistance to colonial hierarchies. Goan intellectuals both Catholics and Hindus critiqued Portuguese rule, and laid the groundwork for Goa’s eventual liberation. These acts of resistance were not aimed at restoring a precolonial Eden but at forging a Goan-ness that could thrive in a colonized and, later, postcolonial world.
Táíwò’s emphasis on agency thus illuminates Goan-ness as a deliberate project of self-making, one that repurposes colonial tools—language, religion, law—for decolonial ends.
Decolonial Mimicry: Bhabha’s Lens
Homi K. Bhabha’s concept of mimicry provides a powerful framework for understanding Goan-ness as a subversive act. In The Location of Culture (1994), Bhabha describes colonial mimicry as the process by which colonized subjects adopt the colonizer’s cultural norms but perform them imperfectly, creating a “partial presence” that disrupts colonial authority. Mimicry is not mere imitation but a strategic act that exposes the fragility of colonial power and opens space for hybrid identities.Goans, under Portuguese rule, mastered this art of mimicry. The adoption of Portuguese names, dress, and language (such as Konkani infused with Portuguese loanwords) was not wholesale assimilation but a selective performance. For example, the Goan elite, educated in Portuguese schools, used their fluency in the colonizer’s language to navigate colonial bureaucracy and even challenge it.
The upper-castes, while outwardly conforming to Portuguese cultural norms, maintained Konkani as a language of resistance in private and communal spheres. This linguistic duality—Portuguese in public, Konkani at home—created a “slippage” in Bhabha’s terms, where Goan-ness emerged as neither fully Portuguese nor wholly precolonial but as something else entirely: a hybrid identity that destabilized colonial binaries.
Bhabha’s notion of the “third space” further en{SD1} illuminates the hybridity of Goan-ness. The Indo-Portuguese culture of Goa—evident in cuisine (e.g., vindaloo, a fusion of Indian spices and Portuguese vinegar), music (the mandó, blending Konkani folk with Portuguese ballad forms), and architecture (churches and temples)—is a testament to this third space.
These cultural forms are not static relics but living expressions of Goan agency, continually reshaped by Goans in response to changing contexts. For instance, the global popularity of Goan trance music in the 1990s, rooted in postcolonial counterculture, reimagined Goan-ness as a cosmopolitan, resistant identity, far removed from colonial or nationalist prescriptions.
Through mimicry and hybridization, Goans crafted an identity that both engaged with and subverted colonial power, embodying Bhabha’s decolonial vision.
Goan-ness as Relational Becoming: Irigaray’s Philosophy
Luce Irigaray’s philosophy of relational identity and becoming offers a complementary lens for understanding Goan-ness as a process rather than a fixed essence. In Speculum of the Other Woman (1974) and This Sex Which Is Not One (1977), Irigaray critiques Western metaphysics for privileging singular, autonomous identities over relational, fluid ones. She advocates for identities that emerge through encounters with others, embracing difference and multiplicity over purity or unity.Goan-ness aligns with Irigaray’s vision as an identity-in-relation, forged through encounters between indigenous Konkani-speaking communities, Portuguese colonizers, and later, global diasporic networks. This relationality is evident in the Goan diaspora, which spans East Africa, the Gulf, and North America. Goans abroad maintain ties to their homeland through cultural practices like the Goan rosary or feni distillation, while also adopting local customs—creating new iterations of Goan-ness. For instance, Goan communities in Kenya blended Swahili linguistic influences with Konkani, while those in Canada. celebrate Goa Day with fusion foods like pork balchão tacos. We have Goans in London celebrating Goan day and tiatr. These practices reflect Irigaray’s notion of becoming: Goan-ness is not a return to a precolonial origin but a continuous process of relational creation, shaped by dialogue with others.
Irigaray’s emphasis on difference also resonates with the internal diversity of Goan-ness. Goan identity encompasses Hindu, Catholic, and Muslim Goans, as well as caste and class variations. Rather than seeking a unified Goan essence, decolonial Goan-ness embraces this multiplicity, as seen in festivals like Shigmo (Hindu) and Carnival (Catholic), which coexist and sometimes overlap in Goan public life.
This relational, pluralistic approach counters colonial attempts to homogenize Goan identity under Catholicism or, later, Indian nationalist attempts to subsume it under a monolithic “Indianness.” Goan-ness, in Irigaray’s terms, is a becoming that thrives on difference, not sameness.
Decoloniality in the Making
The decoloniality of Goan-ness lies in its refusal to seek a pure, precolonial past. Colonialism irrevocably shaped Goa, but Goans were not passive victims. Through agency (Táíwò), mimicry and hybridization (Bhabha), and relational becoming (Irigaray), they crafted an identity that is both rooted in history and perpetually in-the-making. Today, Goan-ness continues to evolve—whether through environmental activism against coastal overdevelopment, the revival of Konkani literature, or diasporic reinventions of Goan culture. These acts affirm that Goan-ness is not a relic to be preserved but a living project of decolonial creation.
In resisting the colonial gaze and postcolonial nationalism, Goans demonstrate that decoloniality is not about erasing the past but about reclaiming the power to define the future. Goan-ness, as a decolonial process, is a testament to the resilience and creativity of a people who, in the words of Irigaray, “are not yet, but are becoming”—and in that becoming, they embody the radical potential of a world remade.
ReferencesBhabha, H. K. (1994). The Location of Culture. Routledge.
Irigaray, L. (1974). Speculum of the Other Woman. Cornell University Press.
Irigaray, L. (1977). This Sex Which Is Not One. Cornell University Press.Táíwò, O. O. (2022). Against Decolonisation: Taking African Agency Seriously. Hurst Publishers.
