Context and language about corruption in the Early Modern Period

Abstract

Few themes in recent historiography have changed as much as the history of corruption in the Early Modern Period. Over the last few years, a team formed by Francisco Andújar, Pilar Ponce, Amorina Villarreal and Alfonso Heredia, among other researchers, has published a series of academic texts relating to the phenomenon of corruption in the Early Modern Age in the Iberian sphere. By comparing primary sources, the team has addressed various controversial issues from the very concept of corruption and its most common practices to its discussion in published treatises and the mechanisms implemented to fight it. An element common to most of their work is an interest in the 17th century, both in the Iberian Peninsula and its overseas territories. Drawing on their collective findings, this chapter intends to provide an overview of current views on the 17th century that may be useful for those who, from a contemporary perspective, often take the 18th century as the starting point when thinking about corruption. Corruption, Anti-Corruption, Vigilance, and State Building from Early to Late Modern Times challenges current historiographical approaches, proposing new interpretations to rethink the relation between corruption and the socio-political and economic transformations since early globalisation. By adopting both transnational and long-term approaches, the book explores the historical dimension of notions such as accountability, transparency, and vigilance in their immediate political, social, and legal contexts. The starting point is to view corruption not as a moral category that emerged in 1789 to delegitimise past, foreign or present state systems, but as a constantly contested concept that must also be historicised in past societies. The collection revisits chronologies and examines different local, regional, and national frames, highlighting that the path to modernity was contested and affected by a variety of unique circumstances, such as revolutions and external political powers. Building on the latest research and offering new methods of inquiry, this book is a compelling resource for academics interested in political history and the history of corruption.