Jesuits as Global Citizens: Geography and World History in European Jesuit Libraries

Jesuits were among the first globalists: their work was closely tied to the missionary impulses of the early modern period, and provide a good framework for globalizing history. I propose to discuss Jesuit college libraries in Tuscany, the Romagna, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Low Countries, focusing on one aspect the production, trade and collection of books by Jesuits. The creation and maintenance of libraries provided the basis for the spiritual and intellectual life of both teachers and students. The central organization of the Jesuits, and their attempts to create a well-educated global population of Catholics, provides insight into Baroque European views of the world. In this paper I will focus largely on the aspects of that endeavor which concern the travel and geographical literature in the libraries, seeking to demonstrate the importance of international, and inter-continental, texts in Jesuit college education.