Description: That the Iberian Peninsula represents a key hub between Christianity, Judaism and Islam is widely known. However, theologians and historians have been studying these phenomena as isolated events and not as part of a much larger Iberian world characteristic, one that should be understood regarding the broader Western thought. This session’s goal, though experimental, is to provide a space for discussion for those of us who work with biblical themes in the context of the Iberian world. This world includes not only the peninsular area but also its colonial spaces, e.g., American, African and Asian places where Portuguese and Spaniards played an influential role starting in the Early Modern period. Moreover, the subjects to discuss are not limited nor to a particular time frame nor a specific chronological period for this first phase. Our initial objectives are to underline the importance of the Iberian world as a space of communication, or not, between the different religions of the Bible, of biblical interpretation, and how the Iberian world was prone to be influenced by the Bible.

Call for papers: In 2017 we celebrate the 500th anniversary of the publication of Luther’s 95 Thesis, and consequently the events that led to the different movements of religious reformation. This research group plans to join the celebrations of such an important event by organizing a series of sessions on the topic of the Reformations within the Iberian World, envisaging the publication of a volume that thoroughly explores the topic within the Iberian spaces. We plan to hold three sessions in Berlin, a generic, one on the topic of women and the Reformations, and a third exploring how religious minorities lived the aftermath of the Council of Trent. For the first thematic session we would like to invite papers analyzing the role of women in the development and circulation of Protestantism in early modern Iberia. We welcome papers emphasizing the sociology of the women convicted because of Protestant practices; their access to texts produced by Reformation; and how women have embodied the principles of Reformation within this heavily Catholic-influenced world of Iberia. For the second thematic session we would like to invite papers exploring how Jews, Muslims, and other minorities were influenced by the Reformation and the following Council of Trent, and how they have managed (or not) to maintain their regular religious practices and beliefs. (avaldez@uevora.pt and solla@usal.es)