Introduction: Situating the Jesuits and Naples in the early modern world

This book explores the Jesuits’ global civilizing mission in the early modern period by focusing on an unusual mission field on the geographical and cultural frontiers of Europe: the City and Kingdom of Naples. I consider the significance that internal missionary activity held within the Society of Jesus from c. 1550 to 1700, arguing that Spanish Naples offers an important case study in the creation of collective identity. The study also provides a window on the Society of Jesus’ contribution to the cultural mapping of the early modern world.