Campion Lecture (Michaelmas Term) 2024: Jesuit correspondence from early modern Asia

This term’s Campion Lecture took place on the 24th October With Dr Camilla Russell, Publications Editor at the Roman Jesuit Archive, who used correspondence sent to Rome by Jesuit missionaries in early modern Asia to take a deep look at the Jesuit concept of accommodatio, their method of adaptation to local cultural practices and forms.

In the introduction to the lecture Dr Brian Mac Cuarta SJ, fellow in early modern history at Campion Hall, who worked alongside Dr Russell at the Jesuit archives in Rome, noted that her work on the history of the Jesuits is, ‘characterised by deep immersion in the archival materials and a keen appreciation of the various genres involved’.

Dr Russell suggested that ‘the ancient genealogy of accommodatio, its Ignatian foundations in the Society of Jesus, and formative conditions for its development in Jesuit works, especially in the East, afforded people significant spaces for first-time meetings and then prolonged contact between groups.’

Dr Russell concluded her lecture by saying that ‘it might be possible to view accommodatio not only as a Jesuit method but also, in its applied form, as encompassing a shared practice that travelled multi-directionally and depended on interactions to work.’

Reflecting on the lecture Dr Nick Austin SJ, Master of Campion Hall, said that it had helped him to complexify his understanding of the concept of Jesuit accommodatio, and thanked Dr Russell for what had been a very enriching talk.