Colonial Goa and the 'Asprushya Question'

Abstract

The history of the so-called asprushya (untouchable), and what exactly this entailed, was actively debated in the Marathi press, since the second decade of the 20th century. New questions on the articulation of alternative social identities of the asprushya, both Catholic and Hindu, were given attention. This article examines the asprushya question within the context of Portuguese colonialism and how the Hindu liberals in turn saw it, from the 1920s to 1950s.