Seminar on Legal History in the Iberian Worlds

Seminar

This new seminar follows from a series we have been holding since 2010. Over the years, we have revised the seminar’s name a few times due to our dynamic way of doing legal history and as a part of our methodological reflection on the denomination of territories that were under the dominion of the Iberian empires or in contact with them. What was for many years a space for the presentation of research on the legal history of Ibero-America and Latin America has been expanded to encompass a global perspective, a seminar on the legal history of the Iberian worlds. The new name covers research on the imperial components of the Iberian monarchies in Europe (Italy, the Netherlands) as well as the overseas territories that span across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. This has involved taking into account wider contexts that frame the analysis of local cases. It has also meant paying closer attention to territories such as Iberian Asia and Lusophone Africa. The particular expertise of colleagues on these different territories has allowed us to build comparative, glocal and interconnected working methodologies. Now, we want to establish a closer dialogue between dissimilar historiographies in order to construct a legal history that crosses different territories of the Global South and their post-colonial experiences.

This seminar has become a permanent forum for discussing research projects among colleagues. It is also a space to integrate fellows and guests who present their own projects and discuss our central questions. In addition to monthly research presentations and weekly meetings, we are exploring new discussion formats based on film screenings, lunch sessions, among others.

For more information, please contact Pilar Mejía or André Luís Bezerra Ferreira.

A uniformed police officer with white gloves places his hand on the shoulder of a young boy.

Capacidad jurídica y estatus personal: un análisis histórico-comparado de la personalidad jurídica (siglo XIX y principios del XX)

Seminario Permanente
  • Date: Mar 17, 2026
  • Time: 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
  • Speaker: Fernando Liendo Tagle
  • (Käte Hamburger Kolleg ‘Legal Unity and Pluralism’- University of Münster / Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú)
  • Location: mpilhlt
  • Room: Turmcarrée, A601
  • Host: Pilar Mejia
  • Contact: mejia@lhlt.mpg.de
Historical black and white woodcut illustration of a religious scene. A group of people is kneeling in front of a stage with a canopy-covered altar. On the stage, several figures are engaged in a ritual or ceremony, surrounded by trees and architectural elements.

De infieles asiáticos a gentiles americanos: La transición en la conciencia cristiana a propósito de los habitantes de América

Seminario Permanente
  • New date!
  • Date: Mar 10, 2026
  • Time: 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
  • Speaker: Adrián Tolentino
  • Location: mpilhlt
  • Room: A601
  • Host: Pilar Mejia
  • Contact: mejia@lhlt.mpg.de
Historical, hand-drawn illustration of lettering.

Tensões globais, dinâmicas locais: Um olhar de conjunto para as “Juntas de Missões” (1681)

Seminario Permanente
  • Date: Feb 10, 2026
  • Time: 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
  • Speaker: Ágatha Francesconi Gatti
  • (CHAM - Universidade Nova de Lisboa)
  • Location: mpilhlt
  • Room: Turmcarrée, A601
  • Host: Pilar Mejia
  • Contact: mejia@lhlt.mpg.de
An open historical manuscript from 1746 written in Spanish. The document features yellowed paper, ornate calligraphic handwriting, an official Spanish colonial stamp ("Sello Quarto"), and a later handwritten note from 1818 from Santiago, Chile. A person wearing white gloves is carefully holding the pages open.

La administración de la salud en Santiago de Chile colonial: normatividades, saberes médicos y gobierno del cuidado (siglos XVII–XVIII)

Seminario Permanente
  • Date: Jan 27, 2026
  • Time: 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
  • Speaker: Andrea Sanzana Saez
  • (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile)
  • Location: mpilhlt & online
  • Room: A601
  • Host: Pilar Mejia
  • Contact: mejia@lhlt.mpg.de
Black-and-white illustration showing hand-drawn symbols and markings documented as tattoos or body marks. Below the drawing is the heading “Tatuajes y Marcas”.

La construcción jurídica del “ciudadano indígena”: Estado colombiano, piel y tatuaje Wayuu

Seminario Permanente
  • Date: Jan 20, 2026
  • Time: 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
  • Speaker: Miguel Galindo Perez
  • Location: mpilhlt
  • Room: A 601
  • Host: ​Pilar Mejia
  • Contact: mejia@lhlt.mpg.de
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