Global goans. Migration movements and identity in a historical perspective

Abstract

Reflecting on the often diffuse use of the concepts transnationalism and translocality this paper argues that the terms need to be historicised. The case study of migration movements of Goans across the Indian Ocean and beyond it illustrates the argument that the temporal layers of translocal, transnational and global phenomena cannot be conceptualised without taking into account the characteristics of the different locations concerned. In a further step, it is argued that specific space time relations are correlated with specific forms of social interaction. The identity of Goans was constituted within the translocal, transnational, and global temporal layers in the context of their twice migration. Social institutions such as the church, the club, and schools played an important role in this process. Arguably, the connection between migration movements and identity formation can be applied to other migratory groups who shared a similar history. © 2008 Brill.