This presentation is part of my PhD “Different representations of Islam in contemporary Goa” which is still a work in progress. Throughout history, those who win tend to promote a biased narrative reflecting their viewpoint. This results in the creation and reinforcement of representations that influence people's perceptions and social-political capital. The histories of Muslim communities have been largely neglected in Goa’s history since the Adil Shah empire, around the 16th century, when the Mughals, Ottomans and Safavid dynasties crafted the local Islamic culture. During the European colonization, imaginary social constructions, stereotypes, and prejudices were spread through derogatory terms, stereotypes and biological determinism. Thus, some of the Goan Muslim communities were labelled as the preferred foe. Although Muslims were eventually integrated into the social context, their histories, cultural importance and heritage were neglected. The history of Muslim presence in Goa remained unwritten, even after the unification of India. Muslim history lacks bibliographical resources, in Goan libraries and archives. Muslims are briefly mentioned through Goa’s history by authors like Frederick Charles Danvers (1894), A.B de Bragança Pereira (1991), and by other travellers from the 16th to 19th centuries. Still, none of them described the importance of Muslims’ contributions to Goa. This lack of formal acknowledgement in Goa reinforces their subaltern position, often relegating them to an imaginary idea of non-belonging.
