This is an online Zoom lecture, delivered by author Dr. Roy Xavier on his book The Macanese Chronicles: A History of Luso-Asians in a Global Economy.
Book Details
This is a book for anyone interested in cultural renewal and ethnic diversity. It is a historical account of Luso (Portuguese) Asians, specifically those from Macau (China), and their role in establishing and maintaining the first global economy connecting Europe and Asia. Part 1 describes their early settlements across the Portuguese Overseas Empire, beginning with Goa in 1511, through migrations to Malacca, Indonesia, Siam, Macau, Hong Kong, and Shanghai up to the end of the Opium Wars in 1860. Part 2 focuses on the largest group of Luso-Asians from Macau, the "Macanese", who settled from 1842 in Hong Kong to work for the British colonial government, merchant houses, and international banks. Several stories of individuals, who were community activists, clerks, business owners, working class proprietors, and wartime refugees are offered to illustrate deteriorating relations with the government as World War II approached. Those who survived experienced a renewal of cultural identity and a legacy for future generations. The conclusion then highlights recent efforts of expatriates to use technology to develop cultural and commercial exchanges with modern China, an attempt to recapture the traditional role of the Macanese as intermediaries and ambassadors of change.
The Speaker
Dr. Xavier is the Director of the Portuguese and Macanese Studies Project and a Visiting Scholar at U.C. Berkeley's "Institute for the Study of Societal Issues". His current research focuses on the history of Luso- Asian and Macanese communities around the world, and cultural and economic diversity in modern day Macau, a Special Administrative Region of China. His articles have appeared in several publications, including the Macau Government's Review of Culture, the Macau daily newspaper Jornal Tribuna de Macau, the University of Hong Kong's Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, and recently in Prof. Geoffrey Gunn's anthology: Wartime Macau published by the University of Hong Kong and Columbia University. A fifth-generation descendant of Macau, Dr. Xavier was a Fulbright scholar at the University of Macau (Hengqin campus) in 2015, where he lectured on cultural and economic diversity. His research can be followed on Far East Currents at MacStudies.net.
RASHK host: Vicky Lee
Time: 11am- 12 noon, Hong Kong Time
Venue: Online on Zoom
Admission: No charge, please register your attendance in advance
Registration: Please email membership@royalasiaticsociety.org.hk in advance to register your attendance