Panel 07: The Estado da Índia and Migration (EN)

Chairs:

André Murteira, CHAM-NOVA FCSH

Roger Lee de Jesus, Leibniz University Hannover & CHAM-NOVA FCSH

Hélder Carvalhal, KNAW, Amsterdam

The Portuguese maritime empire in Asia was a significant imperial power in maritime Asia during the sixteenth and the first half of the seventeenth century. Although it did not include many significant territorial possessions, its many coastal fortresses and extensive naval forces required highly mobile human resources. These were partly brought from Europe by the yearly fleets that sailed from Portugal to India via the Cape of Good Hope route. Aside from this regular influx of European personnel, sometimes estimated at 1 500 persons per year, the Portuguese mobilised local human resources from Asia and Eastern Africa and moved them around their network of fortresses. Finally, a not insignificant group of Portuguese and Asian Portuguese chose to settle outside the formal borders of Portuguese official positions, forming a considerable mercantile diaspora in several Asian ports. However, this group of migrations has rarely been studied in detail. This panel will bring together three papers dealing with different aspects of migration history in Portuguese colonial history in Asia during the early modern period.

Keywords: Portuguese Overseas Expansion; Estado da Índia; Migrations