The Historiography of the Jesuits in the Italian Peninsula and Islands before the Suppression

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Abstract

In 1993, historian Miguel Batllori posited that the history of the Jesuits in the Italian peninsula required a different approach from that in other political entities, given the location of the Society’s administration in Rome, and the dominance of Spaniards in the leadership there. 1 In the following year, Jesuit and historian John W. O’Malley argued that the historiographical tradition until that point had been either apologetic or antagonistic. 2 Both were reviewing Jesuit historian Mario Scaduto’s L’opera di Francesco Borgia , the fifth volume in a series about the early decades of the Society of Jesus in Italy. That work, along with O’Malley’s First Jesuits , helped reimagine the study of the Society, merging institutional and biographical history, paying attention to personal details, and relying on a broad source base. Nonetheless, issues identified by Batllori and O’Malley remain significant in studying the first centuries of the Italian Society: how do historians understand a Spanish-dominated, Roman-located, globally-focused organization as it developed in a disorganized political and religious context? How do both Jesuits and non-Jesuits write about the pre-suppression era without either celebrating or condemning? What were the most significant struggles and successes of the pre-suppression Society, and what role did Rome or other Italian locations play in these? I will address these issues by discussing sources and authors of Jesuit history throughout the Italian peninsula and islands, both regionally and comparatively; by noting the attention paid by historians to particular subjects; and by pointing to some areas of scholarship which are lacking.

Original languageAmerican English
JournalJesuit Historiography Online
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1 2016

Disciplines

  • Christianity
  • History
  • History of Religion
  • Religion

Keywords

  • Historiography
  • Islands
  • Italian Peninsula
  • Jesuits
  • Suppression

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