The Fascinating and Unknown History of Tobacco
The history of tobacco is intertwined with episodes of smuggling, religious and medicinal use (notably in treating drowning victims), mystical prejudices, and its association with slavery and enslavement. Tobacco contributed to funding Portugal’s Restoration War against Spain and had a significant impact on the daily lives and financial accounts of both male and female monastic orders in the 18th century. Did you know that tobacco was cultivated within convent enclosures for the use of nuns and monks and to supplement their income? Or that smoking a pipe was frowned upon? João de Figueirôa-Rêgo sheds light on the history of this plant in another episode of CHAM Talks.
João de Figueirôa-Rêgo is a senior researcher at CHAM – Centre for the Humanities, where he serves as Deputy Director. He holds a PhD in Early Modern History and is a member of the Scientific Committee of the Portuguese Commission for Military History. In 2005, he was awarded the prize of the Portuguese Association for Economic and Social History, and in 2002, the Engineer António de Almeida Foundation Prize. Among his published works is A honra alheia por um fio. Os estatutos de limpeza de sangue nos espaços de expressão ibérica (sécs. XVI-XVIII) (The Honour of Others on the Line: Blood Purity Statutes in Iberian Spaces, 16th-18th Centuries).
The interview is conducted by Beatriz Freitas.
Coordenation
Isabel Araújo Branco (CHAM)
Organization
CHAM / NOVA FCSH
