The Jewish Presence in China and Japan in the Early Modern Period: A Social Representation
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De Sousa, LucioPalabras clave
Jewish DiasporaChina
Japan
Trade Networks
Slavery
Early Modern World
Proyecto GECEM
Publication date
2018-01-06Abstract
Judeo-conversos played a very important role in the Atlantic trade carried
out by Portugal and Spain in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries;
yet, their presence in China and Japan, barring some specific cases,
has remained unknown. The first reason for this absence is due to the
fact that the inquisitorial records collected in Goa and covering the
Portuguese communities established in these regions have not survived.
The second reason is related to the very morphology of this group commonly
known as Nação Portuguesa (Portuguese nation: this is how the
Portuguese Jews would refer to themselves). Spread over several continents
and empires, managing to stay socially connected, the Judeoconversos
who participated and created commercial networks as their
diaspora extended from the Iberian Peninsula to Macau and Nagasaki
also developed various strategies to remain hidden.