SLU-Madrid Hosts Iberian Historian Workshop
03/26/2025
From March 10 to 14, Saint Louis University's Center for Iberian Historical Studies led the Madrid Research Workshop, a weeklong course designed to deepen historical research in medieval and early modern Iberian studies.
The program brought six SLU doctoral students together with scholars from universities across the United States and Spain. Participants engaged in collaborative seminars, explored archival collections and attended a series of lectures.
It consisted of eight two-hour conversation-based research seminars with pre-readings, on-site visits to primary source collections at Madrid museums and the CIHS Annual Lecture.
The course also introduced participants to research projects that rely heavily on collections and collaborators working in archives and libraries in and around the city of Madrid.
The workshop drew participants from Lafayette College, Saint Louis University, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and Western Washington University.
Seminar topics covered a wide range of subjects, including the Spanish Inquisition, the Black diaspora in early modern Spain, Baroque material culture and digital tools for historical research. Scholars introduced students to key archival resources and offered guidance on navigating research institutions throughout Madrid.
Historian Richard Kagan, Ph.D., of Johns Hopkins University delivered the keynote address, "Crafting a Classic: Henry C. Lea's 'History of the Inquisition of Spain.'"
"Kagan offered a nuanced understanding of a prominent figure, and through that, a deeper insight into an institution as broad as the Spanish Inquisition," said Dackerie Bowes, a doctoral student at Saint Louis University's St. Louis campus and SLU-Madrid alumna.
"Another quality I admire about Kagan's scholarship is his range. He refuses to be confined to one genre or time period and explores diverse facets of Hispanism," she said.
"I was thrilled to be back at SLU-Madrid with the professors who helped shape my graduate career," Bowes said. "SLU-Madrid will always feel like home, and I’m grateful to continue using its spaces and resources in this stage of my research."
The workshop received support from the Biblioteca Nacional de España, Fundación Casa de Alba, the Madrid Institute for Advanced Study and several Spanish universities.