Online International Interdisciplinary Research Journal,{BiMonthly}, Issue1, VolumeI, SeptOct2011 Socio–Cultural Space Of Vasai During Portuguese Era: A Case In Historical Cultural Geography Dr. Dipesh Karmarkar a a Department of Geography, Smt. CHM College, Ulhasnagar – 421003 Email ID-dipeshkarmarkar@hotmail.com Abstract Changes in the approaches and theories of historical geography in recent times have given rise to the integrated historical cultural geography. It analyses the evolution of socio-cultural space, basically, by examining the time specific power relations embedded in the respective spatial framework of a place. The interactive space of indigenous and exogenous forces, further, renders dynamism to its formation. The planned inception of the socio-cultural traits of the dominant power group in the indigenous social structure leads to processes of interaction and confrontation that finally reproduce a socio-cultural space of a place. In the 16 th century, the establishment of Indo-Portuguese trading network led to the rise of cities along the western coast of India. Vasai was one of these cities that came up on the coast of north Konkan. Socio-cultural space of Vasai was produced by interaction and confrontation among culturally heterogeneous groups. Various names given to Vasai at different time periods are an indicator of the process of its changing cultural identity. The latter is also manifested in the innumerable social practices and cultural habits. This paper attempts to examine the formulation of socio-cultural space of Vasai as a product of cross-cultural interaction between the locals and the Portuguese. Keywords: historical geography, socio-cultural space, loan words _____________________________________________________________________ 1. INTRODUCTION Changes in the approaches and theories of historical geography in recent times have given rise to the integrated historical cultural geography. It analyses the evolution of socio-cultural space, basically, by examining the time specific power relations embedded in the respective spatial framework of a place. The interactive space of indigenous and exogenous forces, further, renders dynamism to its formation. The planned inception of the socio-cultural traits of the dominant power group in the indigenous social structure leads to processes of interaction and confrontation that finally reproduce a socio-cultural space of a place. In the 16 th century, the establishment of Indo-Portuguese trading network led to the rise of cities along the western coast of India. Vasai was one of these cities that came up on the coast of north Konkan. Socio-cultural space of Vasai was produced by interaction and confrontation among culturally heterogeneous groups. Various names given to Vasai at different time periods are an indicator of the process of its changing cultural identity. The latter is also manifested in the innumerable social practices and cultural habits. This paper attempts to examine the formulation of socio-cultural space of Vasai as a product of cross-cultural interaction between the locals and the Portuguese. The establishment of Muslim rule in Gujarat in early 14 th century led to religious conversion and subsequent outmigration (Chandra, 1997). The migrants went to north Konkan especially to the coastal strip where they mixed with the fishermen (koli) community who had settled all over along the coast. Among those migrated families, some were already converted Muslim families. The above infiltration of population also started taking place in an island located on the bank of the river Ulhas and on the coast of the Arabian Sea. This island was the ancient ‘Vasya’ or ‘Vatsapur’, that is, the 53