Political Authority, Otherness, and Race in Iberian Early Modern Societies

This book examines how the Iberian empires of the early modern period were structured around population control, segregation, and racial policies rather than nation-state characteristics.

Covering a variety of topics, Schaub analyses the idea that the political regimes of the 15th-18th centuries did not have the characteristics of contemporary nation-states. It shows that control over populations, their description and the implementation of segregation played a central role in the structuring of these political systems. The focus is on the two Iberian monarchies in the early modern period. The reader will find both theoretical propositions of wide relevance and empirical examples as case studies. There are detailed explanations of the political regimes in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, based on the example of the union of the crowns of Spain and Portugal. The book presents methods of managing the diversity of populations within imperial structures. It shows that the notion of the stain (macula) played an important role in disqualifying individuals and social groups. Finally, it draws on these empirical case studies to offer a general reflection on the history of race and colonisation. In short, the book shows that it is impossible to understand the political structures of the Ancien Regime without giving a central role to the policies of race.

Political Authority, Otherness, and Race in Iberian Early Modern Societies will be of value to students and researchers who wish to gain a better understanding of the empires of the early modern period.