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SUMMARY:Christ and the mangrove: theology and botany in early modern Brazi
 l - Thomas Banbury (Department of History and Philosophy of Science)
DTSTART:20251201T130000Z
DTEND:20251201T140000Z
UID:TALK237679@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:132391
DESCRIPTION:The colony of 'France équinoxiale' existed for only around fo
 ur years (1612–15) in what is now the Brazilian state of Maranhão. Amon
 gst the building of fortifications and looming war with the Portuguese\, a
  group of French Capuchin friars arrived to preach to the native Tupinamba
  peoples\, and conduct natural historical enquiries into the region's plan
 ts\, animals and insects. The results were two comprehensive travel accoun
 ts by Fr. Claude d'Abbeville and Fr. Yves d'Évreux\, detailing their exte
 nsive contact with the locals\, which were suppressed for political reason
 s by the French government in 1615. Nevertheless\, the works show the infl
 uence of a tradition of Franciscan education in both natural philosophy an
 d the teaching of religion\, which\, I argue\, creates a direct connection
  between the medieval bestiary tradition and the teaching of catechism by 
 analogy. Drawing on the work of Charlotte de Castelnau-L'Estoile and Hél
 ène Clastres\, I explore how these projects of collecting local nature an
 d converting local peoples worked in concert to foster a localised form of
  theological teaching\, which used native flora and fauna to explain compl
 ex theological matters.
LOCATION:Seminar Room 1\, Department of History and Philosophy of Science
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