Jivelandia. Decolonizing Nostalgia In The Goan Catholic Diaspora

This paper is about a state of constant movement across the border in an effort to find JIVELANDIA; a subjunctive space where time, memory, characters and actions come together in unruly ways to give us a glimpse into a futurity on the horizon. I argue that practices of memory, play a significant part in processes of decolonization. I enact these practices by narrating the pieces of my family's journey across borders. I also offer a historical sketch of Portuguese colonization of Goa, which is our place of origin. Memory evokes borders. More than a delineation of nation-state politics, borders reflect the psychic and emotional boundaries that constitute our lives. Recognizing this can be highly generative for political and artistic practices. I take up the meaning of these ideas in my critical discussion of contemporary migrant justice movements, arguing for a recognition of the productivity of border thinking. In so doing, I hope to heed Raymond Williams call for an "openness" that "is in fact strengthening"¹.

¹ Williams, R., & Milner, A. (2010). Tenses of imagination: Raymond Williams on science fiction, utopia and dystopia (Vol. 7). Peter Lang. p.110