HIST 392(S) Spiritual Conquest & Expulsion: Jesuits in the Atlanti World, 1540-1773

The Jesuit Order bears the dubious mark of distinction of being the only missionary group to be expelled from the empires of France, Spain and Portugal, and suppressed by the Catholic Church in the eighteenth century. Infamous for this failure, the Jesuits are also legendary for their martyrdoms, successful conversion strategies, precise records of indigenous voices, and pan-European membership. This course takes the Jesuit Order as a case study of Atlantic history, a new subfield that looks beyond the analytical categories of nation and empire. The same Jesuit transnationalism and global outreach that provoked the suspicion of European monarchs inspires today's Atlantic historians to seize on the Jesuits as a window into understanding the expansion of Catholicism in the early modern period. This course surveys the history of the Jesuit Order from its founding in Europe to its papal suppression, considering key moments such as the barring of women from the Order and the Chinese Rites controversy. We will particularly consider the controversial Jesuit reductions in Paraguay and seventeenth-century Jesuit martyrdoms in Canada. Readings alternate historical scholarship with primary sources by Jesuit luminaries Ignatius Loyola, Matteo Ricci, Antonio Ruiz de Montoya, Andrés Pérez de Ribas, Paul le Jeune and Joseph-François Lafitau. We will explore how the self-reported actions of these men shaped conceptions of Jesuits as both heroes and conspirators in a rapidly expanding world.
Format: lecture/discussion. Evaluation will be based on several papers and short written assignments, a final exam, and class participation.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limited to 25 (expected: 15-25).
Groups B, C, and D

Hour: VELEZ