The historical process of the expansion and consolidation of the Iberian overseas empires was shaped by a multitude of challenges, underpinned by the inescapable need to reconcile the distinct dimensions that made up the dynamics of colonisation. To the commitment to spreading Catholicism, the commercial interests that underpinned the expansion of borders, and the need to devise ways of ensuring the retention of territories and political control over diverse spaces, was added, as a structuring element, the process of confrontation with and incorporation of local populations. The constant clash between these different spheres resulted in dynamics that varied across time and space. Among the policies, guidelines and practices embodied in the attempt to regulate multiple realities, the establishment of exploitative labour relations, ranging from forced labour to the enslavement of local populations, crystallised as a key element in shaping the distinct local societies.

From this perspective, this colloquium aims to foster discussions that explore the various dynamics and structures underpinning the development of Catholicism in the Iberian empires and the ways in which local populations were integrated. Key areas of reflection include the formulation of policies designed to coordinate missionary activity and how these were affected by imperial rivalries, mechanisms of labour exploitation, as well as the examination of local structures of social, political and cultural organisation that influenced imperial expansionist processes throughout the 16th to 18th centuries. The aim is to address, from a trans-imperial perspective, the rooting and consolidation of Catholicism in the process of building colonial societies, using approaches that encompass a broad range of relationships across different levels and scales of observation, ranging from the alliances and disputes between the Iberian crowns and the Papacy to the constant conflicts and accommodations among local actors within societies in Africa, the Americas and Asia.

Topics of great interest will therefore include the disputes surrounding control over missionary activity, the dynamics of catechisation, the central role of diocesan structures, and the administration of the sacraments, which involved local appropriations and rejections, whether by indigenous peoples, religious figures and/or colonists. Similarly, the relationship between Catholicism and the forms of labour established by the Iberian crowns in colonial societies over time, modified by local disputes and appropriations, as well as by structural economic and political constraints, will be key topics in the proposed debates. Finally, the aim is to highlight that the shaping of this colonial Christianity and its relationship with the worlds of work were not limited to the early stages of the establishment of Iberian rule, but were, on the contrary, a permanent process. In this vein, we propose to examine the transformations brought about by the Enlightenment reforms of the 18th century, reflecting on their (dis)continuities in relation to previous policies and questioning the extent to which they reshaped relations between the Church, the State and colonial populations, thereby imposing new frameworks on forms of labour.

Programme (.pdf)

Organising committee

Ágatha Gatti (CHAM - NOVA FCSH)

Soraia Sales Dornelles (Universidade Federal do Maranhão)

Guida Marques (CHAM - NOVA FCSH)

Funding bodies

European Commission - Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowship, HORIZON- MSCA-2023-PF-01: Iberian Patronage, GA: 101155278; Projecto Povos indígenas, Igreja e Estado: a Amazônia pombalina em perspectiva conectada. CHAMADA PÚBLICA MCTI/CNPQ N 16/2024 - Faixa 1: Projecto em cooperação, ApProjInter 2025-2026/ Processo: 403599/2024-5; CHAM, NOVA FCSH, FCT.