2024 - Boston

Juan de Bonifacio, S.J. (1538–1606), famously wrote that “the education of the youth is the renewal of the world,” a phrase that encapsulates the conviction of the early Jesuits  regarding the importance of their educational apostolate. Diego Laínez, S.J., was so convinced of the importance of this work that he instructed that “every Jesuit must bear his part of the burden of the schools,” thus making, as John O’Malley, S.J., maintained, education as “the primary ministry of the Society, the primary base for most of the other ministries.”  

Over time, the apostolate of education has developed in many directions, from teaching catechism to running schools and complex institutions of higher education in different contexts across the globe. While official documents emphasize continuities, local circumstances, stories, histories of education reveal a far richer, more differentiated landscape that invites further study. 

This International Symposium on Jesuit Studies, organized by the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies, will investigate the development of the Society of Jesus’ global educational apostolate in order to probe the complexity of this history–both pre-and post-Suppression down to the end of Pedro Arrupe’s generalate (1965–83). Proposals should consider particular Jesuit educators, collaborators, institutions, and various relevant initiatives over the course of these centuries. 

Presentations might address questions such as these: What kind of methods, texts, materials were used in Jesuit schools? What were the contexts (political, economical, societal) surrounding Jesuit educational institutions? What were the profiles of Jesuit professors and students in Jesuit schools? How did Jesuits move from institution to institution? What was daily life like in schools and colleges and in different contexts especially with regard to their social history? What was the impact of Jesuit educational institutions upon local communities? What are the aspects surrounding Jesuit educational institutions that have yet to be adequately addressed? How was Jesuit education in the lands of missions impacted by local cultures and how did this impact the curriculum of Jesuit schools? How were extra-curricular kinds of education managed in the missions–in other words, how were faith, music, art, and sport taught? 

Proposals and a narrative CV are due before the end of Thursday, November 30, 2023. Selected papers may be peer-reviewed and published in open access following the event. More details are available at bc.edu/iajs. Submissions should be made through this form. Contact the Institute with questions (iajs@bc.edu).