The article explores the urgent imperative for the Church in Goa to pursue genuine inculturation amid contemporary realities. It begins by framing inculturation as carrying an existential thrust not a superficial adaptation, but a profound, life-transforming insertion of the Gospel into the concrete existence of Goan people. This thrust demands vigilance against the dangers highlighted in Adorno and Horkheimer’s...
Verses of Eternal Belonging: Poets Weaving Goencho Saib into Goa’s Living Soul
The transition from canvas to verse in celebrating the birthday of St. Francis Xavier, revered across Goa as Goencho Saib (or Goycho Saib in affectionate local inflection) represents far more than a change in medium. It signifies a deeper migration of devotion: from the static, framed image to the dynamic, spoken breath of poetry. Where the original Goencho Saib...
Viceral Resistance and Politics
Visceral protest harnesses the raw, bodily dimensions of resistance, transforming individual physiological experiences into powerful collective forces that generate affective intensities and moral shock, ultimately mobilizing broader participation in social and political struggles. Unlike purely discursive or ideological forms of protest, which rely on reasoned arguments and abstract appeals, visceral actions engage the gut, the skin, hunger, pain, exposure,...
Reimagining Resistance: Protests in Goa Forge New Paths of Solidarity and Identity
In the sun-drenched landscapes of Goa, where azure beaches meet lush hills, a new wave of resistance is reshaping the political and cultural narrative. The recent protests in Chimbel and Palem-Siridao, spearheaded by the Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities, have not only challenged the BJP-led government’s development policies but also disrupted the hegemonic grip of Hindutva ideology. These movements, which...
Viva Portugal and it’s political ripples
The slogan “Viva Portugal” embodies a rich yet fraught intertextuality, weaving together multiple, often contradictory voices from Portugal’s historical, cultural, and political discourses. At its core, it is a straightforward exclamation of affection—”Long live Portugal!”—rooted in the Romance-language tradition of using the subjunctive “viva” to invoke longevity, prosperity, and vitality for a nation, leader, or ideal. This form echoes...
Goan Interruptus – Refusal, Recognition, and the Assertion of Goan Political Life
Audra Simpson’s seminal work, Mohawk Interruptus: Political Life Across the Borders of Settler States, provides a compelling lens for examining how colonized or Indigenous peoples challenge dominant power structures. At its core is the concept of the politics of refusal, a deliberate rejection of the liberal politics of recognition, where governing authorities extend limited acknowledgments, rights, or inclusions that...
The Awakening of Goa’s ‘Enough is Enough’ Movement
In the sun-drenched paradise of Goa, where the ethos of susegado—a languid, harmonious way of life—has long defined the cultural rhythm, a seismic shift is underway. The “Enough is Enough” movement, launched in early January 2026 under the stewardship of former Chief Justice Ferdino Rebello, marks a profound rupture in this tranquility. What began as a gathering in Panaji’s...
The Nagrization of Konkani: Linguistic Impoverishment Through Scriptal Monopoly (A Bourdieusian Perspective)
The enforced standardization of Konkani through the exclusive official recognition of the Devanagari script ( I have referred to it as referred to as Nagrization) represents a textbook case of French thinker Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of linguistic capital in operation. Bourdieu conceptualized linguistic capital as a subset of cultural capital: the ensemble of linguistic resources, including varieties, accents, registers,...
The Case for Dual Citizenship: Empowering Goans
In the sun-drenched shores of Goa, where the legacy of Portuguese colonialism lingers in architecture, cuisine, and even surnames, a quiet revolution is underway. For decades, Goans have navigated the complex aftermath of colonial rule, which ended in 1961 when India integrated the territory from Portugal. While Portugal’s colonial era was marked by exploitation, cultural imposition, and human rights...
Deconstructing Nationalist Historiography of Goa
Goa’s history is frequently told through a dramatic arc: Portuguese conquest in 1510 followed by four and a half centuries of colonial rule, ending with integration into India in 1961. This dominant nationalist narrative casts Goa as a long-suffering territory that was finally “liberated” and returned to its rightful place within the Indian nation. Yet this telling often resembles...
