Learned Magic in Early Modern Portugal by José Carlos Vieira Leitão instant download

Learned Magic in Early Modern Portugal by José Carlos Vieira Leitão instant download

Magic, independently of historical and cultural definitions, is a constant in human culture. Yet, studies on the history of magic are rare in Portugal, even if there is an abundance of documents pertaining to magic practices in the archives of the Portuguese Inquisition. This collection, however, demonstrates an apparent over-representativity of testimonies regarding what might be referred to as ‘folk magic’, or magic practices associated with less educated social strata, leaving expressions of ‘learned magic’ somewhat obscured. It is not thus strange that the rare Portuguese historiography on magic has mostly focused on its folk expression.
This thesis aims to cover this gap, focusing on the understanding of learned magic in early modern Portugal. This territory, being inserted in an interconnected geopolitical context, was not excluded from European learned magic culture, be it as a receptor of trends and ideas around magic, or as a contributor to their construction in a European and transatlantic context. 
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The existence of inquisitorial trials focusing on learned magic, regardless of their numbers, also points towards particular intellectual interests of learned and influent individuals, and its comprehension will contribute for a deeper and more nuanced characterization of Portuguese learned culture, as well as its ambitions in light of its participation in a world of illicit and prohibited literature.