The Global Genoese in the Atlantic World
This panel at the annual meeting of the Renaissance Society of America will address the Republic of Genoa, including its material relationship to the Spanish Empire and Atlantic World.
The Republic of Genoa was an idiosyncratic polity within early modern Italy, defined by the private wealth, mercantilism, and cultural adaptability of its citizens operating in Genoa and abroad. With the signing of a new constitution in 1528, which bound Genoa’s fate to that of the Habsburg Empire, the Republic entered a “Golden Age”. But as with other Golden Ages in Europe, Genoa’s prosperity and cultural flourishing was intricately linked to wider global systems and networks.
Recent scholarship has reassessed the global entanglements of early modern Italian societies and the ways in which globality shaped Italian cultural and artistic life. However, the impact of mercantile, imperial, and colonial activities on Genoa’s history and cultural landscape – and that of its extensive diaspora – are comparatively understudied.
This panel seeks to address these gaps by exploring the often overlooked roles played by Genoese actors on a global stage. With specific interest in exchanges occurring around and within the Atlantic World, this panel aims to unpick the secolo d’oro dei Genovesi and reassess Genoa’s cultural impact from a decolonial and interdisciplinary lens. We particularly welcome papers that explore the Genoese in the Americas, Caribbean, and West Africa, and how diverse interactions in these places fueled economic prosperity for the Genoese.
Topics
- The Genoese presence within the Spanish Empire
- Cultural and material exchanges between Genoa and the Atlantic World
- The Genoese and the Atlantic Slave Trade
- Transatlantic networks of Genoese financiers and merchants
- Genoese cultural adaptability
- New approaches to the Genoese “Golden Age”
- The construction of Genoese identity during the Golden Age, as portrayed in art, architecture, material and literary culture.
How to submit
Please send proposals via email to Rebecca Gill at [email protected], and Ana Howie at [email protected].
The proposal should include a title (15 words max.), an abstract (200 words max.), and a non-narrative CV (max one page). Please also provide your full name, current affiliation, and email address.