The transnational perspective of two Italian-Quebec writers: Mary Melfi and Bianca Zagolin

Abstract

In the last decades, the Portuguese presence in Goa and the Goan diaspora have been largely investigated. Although, in many cases, the Goan presence in Portugal have been studied from a perspective that considered, mostly, the group of Goans that arrived in Portugal from the former African colonies, especially from Mozambique. The present investigation tends to introduce and analyze the group of Goans who, born in Goa, decided to emigrate to Portugal around the Sixties. In fact, after 1961, when the anexation of Goa into the Indian Union occured, a lot of Goans chose to leave. Through this investigation we attempt to reveale the processes of integration and the strategies of maintenance and preservation of identity and memory in diasporic context. We also tend to examine the hybrid indo-lusitan heritage as key element and important factor in the construction of identity. Furthermore, the analysis of the data collected during the fieldwork will be an essential part of the dissertation. Finally, the processes related to the production of belonging and identitary re-construction will be considered taking into account the transnational dimensions that involve not only individuals, but also memories and identities.