Goa, India’s coastal jewel, is renowned for its sun-kissed beaches, lush greenery, and vibrant cultural heritage. Yet, beneath this idyllic facade, a troubling transformation is underway. The state is increasingly becoming a conduit for coal—a polluting commodity that enriches a handful of powerful corporations while jeopardizing the health and well-being of its people. The expansion of coal handling at...
The Dynamics of the Eye of Power and the Power of the Eye: The Case of Tourism in Goa
I. Introduction Tourism, often likened to a pilgrimage, draws millions of travellers to experience the essence of a land, its culture, and its people. In this adventurous journey, tourists arrive as pilgrims, their expectations shaped by what Michel Foucault terms the “informed gaze,” a mechanism that intertwines knowledge and power to frame their perceptions of the visited destination. In...
Why Renaming St. Joseph Vaz Risks Casteism Over True Cultural Integration
A recent proposal by some Goan Catholic groups suggests referring to St. Joseph Vaz, the beloved 17th-century missionary, as “St. Joseph Naik Vaz.” They argue that adding “Naik,” supposedly tied to his family’s ancestral identity, would honor Goan heritage and boost evangelization efforts in India. However, this idea is deeply flawed. Rather than reflecting genuine cultural integration, it subtly...
De-Scripting Konkani: A Philosophical Walk Toward Cultural Liberation
In the lush coastal landscapes of Goa, the rolling hills of Karnataka, and the vibrant communities of Maharashtra, the Konkani language flows like a river, carrying the stories, songs, and spirit of its people. Yet, this river has often been channeled into rigid scripts—both literal and metaphorical—that seek to define and confine its course. From colonial legacies to post-independence...
The Shifting Sands of India’s Moral Landscape: A New Normal
India, a nation long celebrated for its vibrant diversity, rich cultural heritage, and deep-rooted moral traditions, is undergoing a profound transformation. The metaphorical “widow” of India’s societal conscience—once a symbol of empathy, justice, and moral clarity—appears to have been overturned. The values that once defined the nation’s collective ethos, such as compassion, integrity, and a commitment to non-violence, seem...
Konkani Under Colonial Rule: A Foucauldian Archaeology of Linguistic Plurality, Resistance, and Caste Construction
The history of Konkani, an Indo-Aryan language spoken along India’s Konkan coast, is marked by its pluralistic roots, colonial interventions, and the construction of caste-based identities. Under Portuguese colonial rule in Goa (1510–1961), Konkani’s trajectory was shaped by missionary efforts, colonial suppression, and elite-driven linguistic reclamation. Employing Michel Foucault’s archaeological method, this article excavates the discontinuities and power dynamics...
The Public Sphere of Konkani in Goa: De-Scripting for a Unified Future
In Goa, the Konkani language occupies a complex and contested position within the public sphere. Script-centricity, particularly the dominance of the Nagri script, has shaped the discourse around Konkani, often polarizing communities along religious and caste lines. Here let us try to explore how script-centric thinking restricts Konkani’s growth, fosters echo chambers, and risks “dekonkanizing” the language. Drawing on...
The Scripto-Centricity of Konkani: A Colonial Legacy and the Invention of a Language
The story of Konkani, a language spoken across Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Kerala, is often celebrated as a marker of cultural identity. Yet, its modern form—standardized, scripted, and codified—is less a timeless essence and more a product of colonial interventions and post-colonial aspirations. We might say what already a kind of resistance to colonial imperialism and assimilation European missionaries...
Embracing Konkani Through De-Scripting: A Path Beyond Scripto-Centric Thinking
In Goa, the conversation around the Konkani language is often overshadowed by a heated debate over scripts—specifically, the Nagri (Devanagari) and Romi (Roman) scripts. This scripto-centric thinking—where the script takes precedence over the language itself—has trapped Konkani in a divisive struggle, preventing Goans from fully embracing their linguistic heritage. Language, at its core, is not defined by a script;...
Schizoanalysis of the Scripto-centricity of Konkani
Schizoanalysis, as developed by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, offers a framework to dismantle rigid structures of meaning, identity, and power, emphasizing the fluidity of desire and the multiplicity of flows. Applying schizoanalysis to the scripto-centricity of Konkani—a language spoken predominantly in Goa, coastal Maharashtra, and Karnataka—reveals the complex interplay of historical, cultural, and political forces that have shaped...
