This collection investigates the methodological challenges and primary source availability concerning the historical intersection of India and Portugal during the colonial era. Edited by John Correia-Afonso, a noted scholar of the Heras Institute, the volume compiles scholarly papers presented at a 1978 international seminar. The contributors analyze archival gaps, linguistic barriers, and the historiographical frameworks required to interpret the complex Indo-Portuguese relationship.

Experts identify this collection as a foundational resource for historians specializing in the Portuguese colonial period in India. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose and the specific focus on archival preservation techniques.