International Symposium Gathers Scholars of Jesuit Sources

Friday, June 14, 2019

From June 11-13, more than 70 scholars from around the world gathered for the fifth annual International Symposium on Jesuit Studies. Organized by the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies at Boston College, the event was centered on the theme of “Engaging Sources: The Tradition and Future of Collecting History in the Society of Jesus.”

The unique setting featured presentations by researchers, librarians, and archivists from five continents—all of whom shared both an interest in deeper understanding how Jesuit sources have shaped history, and a desire to better preserve and disseminate those materials in the future. The symposium drew scholars of all interests, giving the United States—once a destination of Jesuit missions—the gift of hosting a conversation that explored the fruits, trials, and legacies of the order’s history.

The event began with a keynote address by Professor Simon Ditchfield of the University of York, who presented a paper titled “Daniello Bartoli, S.J. (1608–1685), His Sources and the Writing of the First ‘Global’ History of the Jesuits.” Ditchfield appreciated how the symposium’s call for papers took advantage of “a uniquely rich tradition of the Society of Jesus.”

On the event itself, Ditchfield continued, “I must honestly say that the reality even exceeded my high expectations. I believe that over the course of the three days bonds of mutual respect were strengthened and deepened in important ways.”

The themes of the symposium’s fourteen panels and five plenary sessions indicated the variety of sources and questions scholars engaged with. On the panel “Rediscovering History in ‘New’ Jesuit Sources,” presentations considered how archeological work assists in recovering the shared past of Jesuit missionaries and indigenous people in Peru, discussed what a never-published manuscript from 1701 reveals about Jesuit missions in the Mariana Islands, and explained the recent discovery, in a local church, of documents hidden in advance of the Jesuits’ expulsion from Portugal in the 1750s.  

Other panels addressed topics such as the Jesuits’ personal motivations expressed in their private petitions, and how house diaries, bureaucratic correspondence, and other seemingly ordinary Jesuit sources reveal much about the Jesuit experience and the wider circulation of knowledge.

These formal presentations and informal conversations benefited from a diversity of perspectives. In particular, Ditchfield, “I was delighted to see the participation of so many archivists with whom to dialogue.”

These sentiments were echoed by Casey Beaumier, S.J., the director of the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies and Vice President and University Secretary at Boston College.

“We are delighted to assist the scholarly community in encountering one another and sharing their work,” said Fr. Beaumier. “We care deeply about archives, so an archival theme was intriguing from the very beginning. We anticipated that it would spark conversations and curiosity about the variety of sources that scholars in the field of Jesuit Studies have encountered.”

“The event became a truly unique setting in academia,” observed Seth Meehan, the Institute’s associate director. “It attracted people from different backgrounds to engage with each other, either during the presentations or informally. This chance for engagement was especially important with the mix of researchers and archivists in attendance. It allowed them the space to get to know each other.”

In this way, the symposium was not only an exploration of history, but also a chance to consider the long-term potential of Jesuit sources. Multiple presentations addressed the collection and preservation of Jesuit sources in conjunction with new technology. In particular, the event marked the formal launch of the Jesuit Online Bibliography. This collaborative, open-access database was founded by three institutions represented at the symposium: the Archivum Romanum Societatis Iesu, the Jesuitica project at KU Leuven, and the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies at Boston College. Also in attendance were representatives of several of more than 30 other institutions supporting this project, as well as many of the more than 60 scholars contributing to it. The project made it clear that the future of Jesuit Studies depends on professional cooperation.

 “Events such as these too often become occasions for scholars to present their research and leave,” said Meehan. “With this symposium, though, I got the impression that people learned more than they presented and that people left energized by what they had learned, by the connections they had made, and by the possibilities they saw in the future of Jesuit Studies. Researchers and archivists alike learned a lot more…about the exciting potential for future collaboration between these two groups of professionals that are usually kept apart.”

The symposium closed with Fr. Beaumier announcing the theme and location for next year’s event. The sixth International Symposium on Jesuit Studies will take place from June 17-19, 2020, in Lisbon, Portugal. The Institute will co-organize the event with the Brotéria cultural center, which will host the symposium, with the partnership of the Catholic University Portugal. The theme for the 2020 event is “Engaging the World.”

Meehan explained, “We are looking at how Jesuits adopted different strategies in terms of engaging different communities across the world over nearly five centuries. We are using Portugal as the place to do that investigation because it has a geographically significant role in the history of the Society of Jesus.”

Scholars are welcomed to submit proposals from across thematic, chronological, and disciplinary boundaries that address methods or instruments the Jesuits used to engage the world and its natural or societal environs.

Ditchfield encouraged scholars to participate, saying, “I would tell anyone thinking of attending next year’s symposium that they can expect to hear from scholars at all stages of their career and to look forward to the prospect of a very well thought through program with just the right balance between plenary and parallel sessions.

“Last but not least,” said Ditchfield. “They can expect a mutually supportive and friendly atmosphere in which early career scholars are encouraged to mix with senior, well-established faculty on absolutely equal terms.”

Selected papers from this year’s event, after being revised and peer-reviewed, will be published by Jesuit Sources, both in print and online in open access available through the Portal to Jesuit Studies. The full program for the 2019 symposium and the call for papers for the 2020 event are available at bc.edu/iajs.