Portuguese Colonial Cities in the Early Modern World

Brockey (history, Princeton U.) presents ten papers exploring the social history of global cities of the Portuguese empire. Papers are organized into sections that in turn address religious, economic, and political themes, although interactions among these spheres are of course noted. Specific topics include attitudes towards Jews in Portuguese colonial cities; the anti-Jesuit riots of early 17th century Bahia, Brazil; Portuguese missionaries in Nagasaki, Japan; commercial trade and the economic development of the Island of Mozambique; the economic fortunes of the fortress-settlements of Diu, Damao, and Bacaim in Portuguese Asia; the functioning of the Estado da India as the primary lending institution of Macau, China; public ritual and tensions of power in Bahia; political disorder and social disharmony in Goa, India; and the characteristics of the social elite of Luanda, Angola. Annotation c2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Liam Matthew Brockey is a specialist in early modern European history, with a focus on the Portuguese Empire and religious history. He is currently an Associate Professor of History at Michigan State University, USA. Brockey's studies have focused on Jesuit missionaries in China and India in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.