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This study examines the presence of the Spanish world in the Republic of Letters during the 17th century, exploring the movement of scientific information from the periphery to the metropole. It also examines the local networks of individuals in the absence of reference sources. The database of Spanish scientists between 1600-1810 is explored, mapping their affiliations and scientific fields. The study also delves into Jesuit correspondence strategies, the Spanish Navy's involvement in science, and the intellectual bequests in Baroque Mexico. Future directions include completing the data entry for the Spanish Scientist database and collaborating with other historians for a comprehensive Atlantic World network analysis.
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Three Perspectives on Science in the 17th c. Spanish Monarchy:Imperial, Regional and Local Mapping the Republic of Letters Fondazione Giorgio Cini March 17th, 2011
Spain and the Republic of Letters • Was the Spanish world part of the Republic of Letters?
Spain and the Republic of Letters • Was the Spanish world part of the Republic of Letters? • How did scientific information move from the periphery to the metropole in the Spanish world?
Spain and the Republic of Letters • Was the Spanish world part of the Republic of Letters? • How did information move from the periphery to the metropole? • In the absence of reference sources or collected correspondence, how can you discern an individual’s local networks?
Spanish Scientists database • Source: Diccionario histórico de la ciencia moderna en España Vol. 1 and 2. Edited by José M. López Piñero, Thomas F. Glick, Víctor Navarro Brotóns and Eugenio Portela Marco. Ediciones Peninsula: Barcelona, 1983. • Only scientists active between 1600-1810. • Database currently has 360 individuals.
Scientific Fields • The Diccionario assigns each scientist a place into one, or sometimes multiple scientific fields. • 30 scientific fields; while some are contemporary, others are anachronistic. • The Diccionario is teleological in nature, meant to show intellectual ancestry. • This database explores connectivity, both intellectual and social.
Areas of Study • Mathematical Sciences • Material Sciences • Geographical Sciences • Biological Sciences • Philosophy • Scientific Writing
Mapping Affiliations • 100 records • Jesuits and those in the Geographical Sciences.
Regional networks: Jesuit Correspondence Strategies • Sources: 68 letters written by and to Eusebio Kino, 1680-1704. • Main contacts: Duchess of Aveiro in Madrid, Jesuit General in Rome, former teachers and colleagues in Bavaria.
Science and Missiology • Goal: build support for Jesuit Missions in Baja California and Sonora. • Display scientific expertise and authority to gain aristocratic donations. • Record Natural Historical information to assist future Jesuit missionaries in the region. • Produce correspondence that improves the reputation of the Society of Jesus.
Local level: Science and Death in Baroque Mexico • Sources: Testamento de Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora, Bancroft MM.1700. • 80 bequests in will. • Majority are to clerics, religious orders, family and friends. • 9 scientific and intellectual bequests.
Intellectual Bequests • Chief recipient is Jesuit College of St. Peter and St. Paul in Mexico City. • Most bequests are books, including works of Kircher,and Bellarmine. • A set of Pre-Columbian manuscripts and maps. • Mathematical instruments, telescopes, and the jawbone of an antediluvian mammoth. • And finally, his own corpse is to be dissected to advance medical knowledge.
Intersections • Sigüenza’s will tries to make Mexico City into a scientifically important locale. • Kino and his successors spread information about Baja Ca. and Sonora, but not information useful to the Spanish Crown.
Future Directions • Complete entering data for the 360 individuals in Spanish Scientist database. • A collaborative database with other historians to add local and regional networks from other parts of the Atlantic World.
