Alexandra Bamji,Geert H. Janssen and Mary Laven,eds,The Ashgate Research Companion to the Counter-Reformation

Reviewed by: Ruth Atherton, University of Birmingham, UK

The historiography of the Counter-Reformation, though rich, has often been the victim of entrenched notions and concepts that have only recently begun to be reassessed. With this book, the editors have successfully brought together studies which evaluate where we stand in current research and offer useful, relevant guidance on what is needed to enhance our still limited understanding of the nature of Tridentine Catholicism. This compendium, with its breadth and diversity, not only fills a void in contemporary scholarship, but is especially welcome for its encouragement of researchers to break free of the confines of traditional parameters.

The volume is separated into four well-ordered sections. Part one groups together eight chapters discussing conflict, co-existence and conversion, beginning with two papers that address the theoretical concepts of Tridentine Catholicism and confessionalization. The second section covers the theme of identity and its seven papers highlight the various aspects that helped create and foster different forms of Catholic devotional life. Following on from this, the six papers comprising the third section are devoted to the discussion of ideas and culture with focus being placed on the sciences, intellectual culture, art, music, drama and material culture. The final section looks at both medieval and modern Catholicism and serves as a reminder that the history of Catholicism is neither static nor divisible into neatly uniform periods, but is fluid, boundless and far more integrated into both a pre- and post-modern setting than traditional studies have suggested.

Though the papers, with contributions from a number of leading authorities, are wide-ranging in topic, they are united in their effort to broaden the scope of historical research and encourage engagement with areas that have long been overlooked or underestimated, such as the effect of age on one’s confessional outlook, what it actually meant to be a Catholic, or to delve into topics that have traditionally been the remit of Protestant scholarship, including exiles, print and preaching. Equally, however, the rich historiographical overviews contained within the chapters point to those perspectives that have traditionally received substantial attention from scholars thus colouring the realities of early modern Catholicism, for instance, the work of the Jesuits. By emphasizing the roles other groups played, including women and lay confraternities, the stage is set for much-needed further research into both local case studies and theoretical concepts.

Alongside the foray into relatively new or sparsely investigated areas of research, the compilation also seeks to push geographical boundaries, with a number of papers drawing attention to not only less visited areas of Europe such as Hungary and Ireland but beyond, including the Americas and Asia. They serve to remind us that there were myriad forms of Catholicism which were moulded according to social and political pressures as well as local traditions and customs. As a corollary to the geographical widening, the inclusion of papers focusing on a longer timeframe encourage us to look beyond the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries when analysing post-Tridentine Catholicism. Likewise, John Arnold reminds us not to overlook medieval Catholicism or to afford the Protestants and Catholics of the sixteenth century too much credit for novelty as the foundations of ‘reformed’ religion were laid in the centuries leading up to the 1500s. Through the geographical and chronological broadening, the collection encourages scholars to examine areas that have hitherto been largely overlooked and by using their own research interests as the main focus of their chapters, the authors successfully demonstrate both the voids and trends in the latest scholarship of the Counter-Reformation.

Yet another strand running through the volume is the refutation of a top-down approach to Catholicism and a far more localized Catholic identity that varied according to gender, age, region and tradition. Though this is not a new notion, as testified by the increasing number of local case studies challenging the idea of confessionalization and state-imposed religion, papers covering topics as diverse as drama, religious co-existence, identity, sanctity and piety and community, add to the growing body of research advocating a far more flexible and cooperative form of Catholicism. The reader is encouraged to look beyond the confines of traditional scholarship to appreciate the fluid nature of post-Tridentine Catholicism and to investigate the many layers of society that contributed to religious life and devotion. The papers raise new questions surrounding local participation in the formation of Catholic life and point to those areas warranting further research in order to understand more fully the daily lives of Catholics.

Fundamentally, the chapters in this collection serve to challenge and expand the limits of questions on the when, where, how and why of post-Tridentine Catholicism. Serving as an excellent source of reference and direction, the accessible volume reaches out to experienced researchers and less practised scholars alike whilst its sheer diversity allows for a broader discussion of global Catholicism and richly adds to the current historiography on the Counter-Reformation. At the same time, it demonstrates the scale of research that remains to be undertaken.