Pombal and “Enlightened” Commerce: The Portuguese Estado Da Índia in the 18th Century

The aim of this paper is to assess the changing socio-political and economic dynamics of the Portuguese colony of the Estado da Índia during the latter half of the eighteenth century, beginning with the wave of reforms initiated by Sebastião José de Carvalho e Mello, the Marquis of Pombal. It sets out an overview of Pombal's philosophy and the stimuli undergirding his reforms, specifically those aimed at fundamentally restructuring the colonies. His primary broad objectives were the centralization and standardization of administration, the stimulation of commerce and the formalization of the imperial presence in the overseas territories. However, we know comparatively little about how the objectives and instructions from Lisbon were received in the Estado. The paper engages with the questions of how exactly were they implemented on the ground? To what extent were the aims and directives of the metropole satisfied? Discussions of commerce as central to boosting the fortunes and standing of Portugal were also held at the Overseas Council and at the Academy of Sciences (1779) in Lisbon. These two institutions were critical in constructing a new legitimizing discourse for the imperial enterprise but their role is only minimally understood. The Estado was a significant nodal point in the colonial economy and it was where the large-scale instruments of imperial policy were advanced and the techniques of mercantilist exploitation pursued. In turn, the focus will be narrowed to the impact of these reforms on an indigenous mercantile community, the Saraswat Hindu merchants who dominated its economy. I will analyze how this group took advantage of the liberalization of commerce and the changing dynamics affecting this economic milieu. Finally, I will assess if and how the complex relationship of Indo-Portuguese mercantile collaboration and interdependence resulted in far-reaching political implications for the colonial authorities, and vice versa.