Trends in Goa's trade and commerce: 1878-1961

Abstract

This paper attempts to focus on and analyse one of the less researched periods in Indo-Portuguese economic history. Historians have researched on the economic aspects of Indo-Portuguese history mostly from the arrival of the Portuguese to the mid-nineteenth century. The economic history of the late nineteenth century and the twentieth century (till 1961) is relatively neglected. Nevertheless several research papers are available on the economic aspects of this period in some of the edited volumes. Another trend or stereotype in Indo-Portuguese economic history is that most of the scholars have emphasised on the trade in spices, slaves or the 'big trade'. As a result of this bias, other commodities involved in the 'small trade' are not considered adequately. Efforts are made to focus on these shortcomings.