Evangelization in the Portuguese Empire
Cod: 31098
Department: DCSG
ECTS: 6
Scientific area: History
Total working hours: 156
Total contact time: 15

The Portuguese Empire was built on the confluence of several interests, whether by conjugation or in an opposite way. This course unit introduces the power lines of Christian agents' evangelization, not only highlighting the conflicts and ‘pacts’, but most of all, the several principles and ideals that guide the evangilization process in Portuguese colonies.
The royal patronage and all it implies, as well as the various missionary quarrels between religious orders and the crown or the papacy, show the predominant interests and forces. The acculturation and enculturation phenomena is interpreted in the evangelist mission context, as well as its shortcomings and virtues.

  1. Evangelization
  2. Empire
  3. Colonialism
  4. Christianization

• Analisar os fenómenos relacionados com a missionação e as suas consequências nos processos de colonização.
• Compreender o papel dos vários agentes da evangelização.
• Discutir e avaliar o impacto dos fenómenos religiosos e culturais na história dos povos.

1. The dynamism of Christianity: contexts and pretexts.
2. Christianity and European expansion: agents, methods and problems. From royal missions to the Roman centralization (15th to 18th centuries).
3. From the 19th century evangilization outbreak to contemporary evangilization issues: indigenization of the Church and the creation of indigenous hierarchies; inculturation of Christianity.

AMORIM, Maria Adelina, Os Franciscanos no Maranhão e Grão-Pará, Lisboa, Centro de Estudos de História Religiosa da Universidade Católica, 2005.
BETHENCOURT, Francisco e CHAUDHURI, Kirti  (eds), História da Expansão, 5 vols., Lisboa, Círculo de Leitores,1998-1999.
COSTA, João Paulo Oliveira e, “A Diáspora Missionária” in História Religiosa de Portugal, vol. 2 - Humanismos e Reformas, coord. João Francisco Marques e António Camões Gouveia, Lisboa, Círculo de Leitores, 2000, p. 255-313
GONÇALVES, Nuno da Silva, “A dimensão missionária do catolicismo português” in História Religiosa de Portugal, vol. 3 – Religião e Secularização, coord. Manuel Clemente e António Matos Ferreira, Lisboa, Círculo de Leitores, 2002, p. 353- 397.
Missionação Portuguesa e Encontro de Culturas. Congresso Internacional de História. Actas, 4 volumes, Braga, Universidade Católica Portuguesa/Comissão Nacional para a Comemoração dos Descobrimentos Portugueses/Fundação Evangelização e Culturas, 1993.
São Francisco Xavier, Oriente, revista quadrimensal da Fundação Oriente, nº 13, Dezembro de 2005.
THOMAZ, Luís Filipe, De Ceuta a Timor, Lisboa, Difel, 1994

 

Online learning with continuous supervision favoring asynchronous communication (Moodle platform).
Students have to perform the tasks requested by the teacher: essays, critical recensions, reports, protocols, etc. All works will be evaluated and/or classified.

Continuous assessment is privileged: 2 digital written documents (e-folios) during the semester (40%) and a final digital test, Global e-folio (e-folio G) at the end of the semester (60%). In due time, students can alternatively choose to perform one final exam (100%).

Students are required to have access to a computer with Internet connection and an e-mail address as well as to have computer literacy from the users' perspective.