ARCA COMUNIS NETWORK
POWER, FISCAL SYSTEMS AND FINANCES IN THE MIDDLE AND MODERN AGES: TOWARDS NEW PERSPECTIVES
DATES: 22nd and 23rd May 2025.
VENUE: Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Brescia (Italy).
DIRECTORS: Ángel Galán Sánchez (University of Málaga), Benoît Maréchaux (Complutense University of Madrid) and Esther Tello Hernández (Milá y Fontanals Institution for Humanities Research, CSIC, Barcelona).
ORGANISERS: Inocencia Perea (University of Málaga) and Andrés Requena (University of Málaga).
SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE: Ángel Galán Sánchez (Universidad de Málaga), Elena García Guerra (CCHS, CSIC, Madrid), Giovanni Gregorini (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milano), Benoît Maréchaux (Universidad Complutense de Madrid), Giuseppe de Luca (Università degli Studi di Milano Statale), Riccardo Semeraro (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Brescia), Esther Tello Hernández (Institución Milá y Fontanals de Investigación en Humanidades, CSIC. Barcelona) y José Manuel Triano Milán (Universidad de Málaga).
GENERAL OUTLINES:
The Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Brescia and the Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca in Storia Economica (ARISE) are hosting the VII Martín de Azpilicueta Seminar, funded by the Spanish Ministry of Innovation and Science (RED2022-134575-T network project). This event, now a consolidated and periodic activity, is promoted by Arca Comunis, a Network of Research Projects on the history of Medieval and Moderns Fiscal Systems coordinated by the University of Málaga.
This seminar is aimed at doctoral students and young doctors interested in the history of taxation and finance in a broad sense. Its purpose is to foster the exchange of ideas on the latest historiographical trends, stimulate scientific debate, and create dialogues around ongoing work. Participants will briefly present their research topics, followed by discussions moderated by researchers from the Arca Comunis Network and experts in the thematic areas addressed.
RESEARCH FOCUS:
The seminar seeks to examine the interactions between political and fiscal systems across Europe during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period—formative eras in the development of modern state structures. Through a comprehensive approach, it will explore how fiscal dynamics not only shaped the consolidation of political power but also influenced the political strategies. Somewhat gauge their impact on decisions that designed the scope and effectiveness of fiscal institutions in these historical contexts.
The central objectives are:
- To examine the impact of fiscal systems on market integration and economic growth, considering their connection with institutional developments and the consolidation of centralized state structures.
- To investigate the interrelations between public finance and economic growth and decline. Including the exploration of policies’ impact on behavioural economics and the birth of institutional mechanisms for economic and financial regulation.
- To analyse the constraints public finance imposed on the development of productive activities, property structures, and financial systems.
- To explore the relationship between inequality, economic structures, gender differences, and political change. Inequality provides a valuable avenue for research through the analysis of fiscal sources. In addition, the seminar will consider how political mechanisms for tax extraction and distribution, economic systems of wealth distribution and transmission, and social structures across different scales interact within a unified framework of study.
We encourage candidates, within these objectives, to explore topics such as:
- The legitimacy of taxation.
- The relationship between tax collection and political stability.
- Economic inequality and the role of gender differences.
- The impact of economic crises on policies and public administration.
- Relationship between tax justification, taxpayer acceptance and actual powers.
The seminar will also include:
- Research on the role of private finance, examining how businesspeople participated in supplying credit to rulers and mobilizing fiscal and monetary resources.
- The evolution of fiscal and political theories, exploring how ideas of fiscal justice and governmental responsibility have changed over time in response to social, economic, and cultural transformations in medieval and early modern history.
Finally, specific attention will be paid to regional and temporal differences. Comparative perspective on fiscal systems as instruments of control and development in various contexts will warmly welcome. We also encourage the use of documentary sources and contemporary methodologies, such as Digital Humanities and statistical systems, to reinterpret historical data from new angles. This multifaceted approach will not only deepen our understanding of historical dynamics but also offer fresh perspectives on contemporary challenges related to taxation and political power.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION:
Proposals should be sent to etello@imf.csic.es by 10th January 2025. The proposal must be sent in a single PDF document containing a brief Curriculum Vitae (maximum two pages) and a summary of the research (3,000 to 5,000 characters). Proposals written in Italian, Spanish, French, English, or Portuguese will be accepted. Candidates will receive a response by 30th January 2025.
- The seminar will be exclusively in-person.
- Presentations will last between 20 and 30 minutes. The languages considered are: Italian, Spanish, French, English, or Portuguese. The accompanying PowerPoint should be in a different language, preferably English.
- The Arca Comunis network will finance between one and two nights of accommodation for the selected participants.
- The Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Brescia will offer one lunch to the participants.
- The participants will bear travel expenses.