People of the Iberian Borderlands: Community and Conflict between Spain and Portugal, 1640-1715

This book challenges the predominant historiography of borderlands societies by focusing on the experiences of border populations outside of logics that are alien to themselves and highlighting their own subjectivity. It demonstrates that most of the practices developed by border people were fundamentally aimed at defending their local communities.

Format: Hardback
Length: 278 pages
Publication date: 02 September 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This book is a comprehensive exploration of the lives of people living in the Spanish-Portuguese borderlands during the early modern period. It aims to challenge a prevailing historiography that has primarily focused on studying border societies, often solely through the lens of subversion and boundary construction. The book argues that by narrowly concentrating on one concept or another, there is a risk of limiting our understanding of local communities' agency, which can be conditioned by external narratives. In contrast, a more contemporary perspective suggests that border people's behaviors should be understood within the context of bottom-up processes of consolidating spaces of sovereignty, albeit in a restrictive vision.

Faced with these two approaches, the primary objective of this work is not to dismiss them outright but rather to place the experiences of border populations outside of logics that I perceive as inherently alien to them. It seeks to highlight their subjective perspectives and recognize their agency. Furthermore, the book demonstrates that the practices developed by border people were primarily driven by the desire to protect and defend their local communities.

This book will be of interest to both audiences interested in early modern Iberia or border studies from a bottom-up perspective. It offers a fresh and nuanced understanding of the complex and multifaceted lives of people living in the borderlands during this period, challenging traditional narratives and providing a more inclusive and empathetic perspective.

Weight: 700g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367758202