Paper short abstract:

In a short presentation we would like to launch the discussion upon the theoretical framework and the research strategies of building a project regarding Colonial Press.

Paper long abstract:

As convenors of the Panel "Democratic principles and cultures in the colonial press (19-20th centuries) we had the initiative of proposing it to the II CHAM International Conference, as an important step to the building of a project regarding the Colonial Press in the Portuguese Empire since the liberal Revolution (1820). This is a project we would like to be thought of, since its roots, as International; involving researchers from Portugal and from those countries that once integrated the Portuguese Empire, including Brazilian researchers for the lasting importance of the country in this web. The idea is to approach, in a multi and transdisciplinary perspective the role of periodical press in crafting and spreading Portuguese colonial ideology, which was profoundly marked both by the different political ideologies of the successive Portuguese regimes and by international colonial and anticolonial theorization and movements. On the other hand, the aim is to approach how the emergence and development of press is linked to the creation of local public spheres and of modern political and cultural thought in the different spaces of the Empire. Finally, by proposing to gather in a single project these different perspectives and spaces, and by analyzing the concrete modes of circulation of persons and ideas, we aim to launch the bases of a comparative history of modern political and cultural thought in the Portuguese Empire. In a short presentation we would like to launch the discussion upon the theoretical framework and the research strategies of such a project.

Paper short abstract:

The newspaper Boletim Colonial and the colonial vision of his first director Pereira Batalha, before and after the waves caused by the British Ultimatum (1890) in republican action

Paper long abstract:

The present paper is part of a collective research viewing a comparative approach of Portuguese colonial press. Focusing the thematic of democratic thought, in its political and cultural dimensions, we use as case study the Portuguese journalist, Francisco Pereira Batalha.

The Boletim Colonial as his founder Pereira Batalha had a clear program initiating every number that can be summarized like this: for the autonomy of the Portuguese colonies and its consequent development and education. We might complete Batalha's political agenda with the thought that only with democratic institutions within a republican regime those ideals could come to life.

The newspaper, through the pen of several correspondents in Africa and Asia, denounced the abuses of monarchical military and civil servant, the constant crony, and how both situations took to native rebellions. Because the desire for autonomy implies of the recognition of diversity, the Boletim had also a section called African Culture devoted to disclose costumes and habitudes and several studies on native languages and dialects. The idea of a Colonial Party and the organization of a colonial conference in Lisbon with representatives from all Portuguese colonies was an idea in progress in the Boletim.

Fighting in two fronts against the international attacks to the colonial Portuguese empire and against the monarchical regime the Boletim stopped the publication in the year of 1890, restarting in 1891 with another director that "kept the fight of his antecedent".

Pereira Batalha continued to write about his colonial solutions in other republicans newspapers, until he founds his own in Luanda, in 1912.

Paper short abstract:

Being a part f a collective research, the present paper approaches the newspaper A Província in its Angolan phase.

Paper long abstract:

The present paper is part of a collective research viewing a comparative approach of Portuguese colonial press. Focusing the thematic of democratic thought, in its political and cultural dimensions, we use as case study the Portuguese journalist, Francisco Pereira Batalha. The spaces of his public intervention are directly linked with his career as a civil servant in Lisbon, Luanda and Pangim.

The newspaper A Província, founded in 1914 in Luanda (Angola), is an interesting title which will travel with the author to another Portuguese colony (Goa). In Luanda, the newspaper presents itself with a significant quality, using photos and being supported by a considerable number of advertising. The articles are related to internal affairs and politics, ethnography, international affairs and economy. Ideas like autonomy, self-government, decentralization and republicanism are the most discussed items.

Another important aspect is Francisco Pereira Batalha's choice for his editors. Augusto Archer da Silva Wilson and then Marcolino António Joaquim were important journalists involved in previous newspaper projects. Both newspapers were important ones, also defending autonomy, democratic principles and republicanism, with major implications in the relations between the colonial and native elite. This means Pereira Batalha was concerned about developing a professional journalism based on the defense of the republican and democratic values.

In the 20's of the 20th century, Pereira Batalha will go on with the project, now in Goa, always focusing the same issues: autonomy, principles of democratization and decentralization and republicanism.

Paper short abstract:

Being part of a collective research, the present paper approaches the newspaper A Província in its Indian phase.

Paper long abstract:

The present paper is part of a collective research viewing a comparative approach of Portuguese colonial press. Focusing the thematic of democratic thought, in its political and cultural dimensions, we use as case study the Portuguese journalist, Francisco Pereira Batalha. The spaces of his public intervention are directly linked with his career as a civil servant in Lisbon, Luanda and Pangim.

The A Província is one of the rare titles in the Portuguese colonial space that travels with its founder and director. His wish of intervening in local society is obvious since the first moment, when he chose as editor and secretary of the newspaper a journalist of the Hindu elite, Ladobá Ananta Sivescar. Later this journalist would stay only as editor as he launched his own project, Estado da Índia (1923-1931). In Goa, we notice three strong lines of intervention of Pereira Batalha: the defense of local autonomy and of democratic principles; the defense of European civil servants against the attacks of the native elites; involvement in local affairs, namely those surrounding communal relations and the pro-Indian nationalist movement. It is particularly interesting how his defense of equal rights coexists with his Orientalist and racist bias. On the other hand, the newspaper had a growing participation of native Republican intellectuals, both Catholics and Hindus that through different political and cultural polemics reflected on local democratic and identity problems.

Paper short abstract:

Independent journalists among native goans in colonial times were rare. From the early 20th century something began to change on the local newspapers. Critics against colonial regime begins to arrive at Lisbon. Seeds of democratization and free thought were arriving from Goa.

Paper long abstract:

The problem of colonial subalternity implied cultural, religious and political European superiority, although such social condition some courageous native journalists tried to do something against such suffocate domination publishing their own newspapers. One of them, known as the Tilak of Goa often wrote to wake up his contemporaries encouraging them to think and to express their own ideas about Goa political situation. His writes informed goans about the situation of his neighbors [Indian national movements] during the Gandhi action and at the same time he fomented the born of goan autonomy movement. Seeds of a nationalism sentiment. On his burning writes fight for a scholar education reform against the colonial government and contested the constitutional principle of cults liberty, oppression liberty, self-determination, liberty of speech, in a word for democratization. His social conditions has not influenced his journalist career. The political instability occurred in Portugal between 1910 and 1926 had a great influence in this journalism and produced a great transformation in his thinking and activism. The demonstration of a kind of openness and decentralization from the republican govern it was seen by Goa as a self-government. It obvious that his thoughts are synonym of opposition to colonial regime, political and religious, but also to cultural impositions of the caste-system and political restrictions of State censorship.

Paper short abstract:

Looking into his ideologies and convictions expressed in the paper ' Portugal e Colonias' will be the objective of this paper

Paper long abstract:

Jose Inacio de Loyola (1891-1973) was a man whosoe writings made a lot of impact on the mind of the people. The fall out of this was: creating both friends who admired and supported him and foes who hated him. He used his pen to educate and help fellow Goans and also to criticise the government and others who he felt were opposing his thinking of affairs and problems facing Goa and Goans. Similarly, if he felt that government's policies were favourable for the people he would praise them. He would analyse any new legislations with sharp and visionary mind and write about it. For this he needed an independent platform which would not come in the way of his thoughts and writings. So in 1913, he started the weekly, Jornal da India, which closed because the Portuguese Governor suspended it for criticising the government. In retaliation, O Rebate was started, which was followed by Lanterna and a Opinião. He wrote in India Portuguesa (1923-25), and another weekly Portugal e Colónias (1937 to 1939).

There is no doubt that he was an intellectual of the time and feared no one when he wrote. He did not mince words when he wanted to give his views. However, he did not remain consistent and changed in his thinking and ideologies.

This paper will look into his writings and ideologies as reflected in 'Portugal e Colónias, which he published from Bomaby, where he was in exile.

Paper short abstract:

This paper intends to determine, in the framework of the reactions of the opposition sectors, which was the approach taken by the press on the dissemination of the democratic principles on the 18th of June 1946, in Margão.

Paper long abstract:

Once the population was deprived of a wide number of news, which is indispensable for a critical analysis of the situation of the country, preemptive restriction on freedom of information, censorship became one of the essential mechanisms for maintaining the authoritarian political power, molding the thinking in favor of the doctrinal principles of the regime. The media were used as an orchestrated act of political propaganda, transforming reality so that all would accept it as the "national truth".

With the public opinion controlled and manipulated by censorship and strong propaganda, in order to unite the Portuguese people around a regime that defended the survival of the borders of a pluricontinental country, emerged the criticism to the colonial policy.

In Estado Português da Índia, a year before the proclamation of the independence of India, on the 18th of June 1946, in Margao, the Goans expressed their disagreement with the colonial policy, marking the beginning of the last phase of the struggle for the liberation of Goa. This paper intends to make a comparative study of the contribution of the press in the dissemination of democratic principles of this movement between Goan and metropolitan opposition, by two Goan newspapers, O BHARAT! and Heraldo and two metropolitan: República, a legal newspaper and Avante!, a clandestine newspaper.

Paper short abstract:

As a part of a broader research project on cultural press in colonial Mozambique, my paper is a case study on “A Voz de Moçambique” (1960-1974), a magazine linked to the Association of the Natural-Born of Mozambique.

Paper long abstract:

As a part of a broader research project on cultural press in colonial Mozambique, my paper is a case study on "A Voz de Moçambique" (1960-1974), a magazine linked to the Association of the Natural-Born of Mozambique. I will argue that this magazine depicts a part of the colonial society that could be considered as in-between: between the official ideology and the demand for autonomy. In fact, it was a meeting ground for many intellectuals who opposed the regime, and also for people connected more directly to the FRELIMO.

Given its role in the promotion of writers perceived nowadays as Mozambican national symbols, the magazine is considered essential for the emergence of the national literature (Mendonça, 2012). On the contrary, due to its linkage to the white middle class, both studies on nationalism and on press in Africa, which adopt a political and ideological point of view, have given it less importance (Cabaço, 2007; Ziegler & Asante, 1992).

Using both quantitative and qualitative analysis, I will highlight two very important aspects of the magazine:

• The construction of an image of "racial democracy" through colonial and racial representations using such concepts as "native", "Portuguese", or "local";

• The diffusion of a democratic culture in the cultural section, which cannot be considered apart from the political and informational approach characteristic of the entire magazine.

As a reflection of contradictions in the colonial society, this magazine is a "borderland", crucial for the construction of a pluralistic national identity in Mozambique.