My research centers on the history of early modern Iberian polities and their imperial rule across the Atlantic, with a particular focus on the period when Portugal was part of the Spanish Monarchy (1580-1640). I also delve into the political and administrative reforms of the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. A recent outcome of this research is the volume I co-edited with Nuno Gonçalo Monteiro titled ‘Political Thought in Portugal and its Empire (1500-1800),’ published by Cambridge University Press in 2021.
My attention is also drawn to representative assemblies and political participation, especially in Portugal during 1579-80, where I analyze attempts by commoners to establish a political regime centered around the ‘Cortes,’ the Portuguese representative assembly. This research is forthcoming as “Élites, représentation et participation politique du «peuple». Les Cortes et le débat sur l’élection du roi dans la crise de succession portugaise de 1578-1581.”
In addition, I explore Colonial Brazil, examining the legal and moral categories imposed by the Portuguese on Indigenous populations and their resistance, which I am working on in the forthcoming piece “‘La forma y casos en que los indios pueden ser cautivados en nuestras conquistas.’ Dominación colonial, cultura jurisdiccional y resistencia (c. 1550-1655).”
Lastly, I delve into the memory of the Portuguese empire and its colonial domination. My interest in this aspect is reflected in the forthcoming study “Reassessing the Portuguese Imperial Past: Scholarly Perspectives and Civic Engagement,” to be published in the ‘Journal of Lusophone Studies.’