‘Should auld acquaintance be forgot’: On the Portuguese Empire in Asia, 1500-1700

Abstract

The essay reflects on the context of the publication and reception of The Portuguese Empire in Asia, 1500-1700, a book that first appeared in 1993, and was translated into Portuguese, French and Chinese. It suggests that while some of the principal arguments of the book have gained acceptance, others have been resisted in many quarters. Notably, the book’s plea to insert Portuguese activities in their full Asian and East African historical and historiographical contexts has only been espoused by a minority of historians.

Keywords

• Portuguese empire
• Asia
• companies
• overseas expansion