Archeology of a Method: Casuistry and the Production of Normative Knowledge in the Portuguese Empire in Asia (1556-1573)

The Regimes of Normativity Research Seminar provides a space for discussion about work in progress in the department. It focuses on methodological discussions based on preassigned readings. It is open to all colleagues and guests of the institute.

For this session of the Regimes of Normativity Research Seminar, we will discuss Rômulo Ehalt’s draft chapter, "Archeology of a Method: Casuistry and the Production of Normative Knowledge in the Portuguese Empire in Asia (1556–1573)." Serving as the introduction to an edited volume on Jesuit theologian Francisco Rodrigues SJ (c. 1515–1573), the text examines how Rodrigues analyzed cases of conscience to navigate complex moral, legal, and theological dilemmas across Portuguese Asia, ultimately forming flexible normative frameworks for imperial governance.