Dr. Darlan Paulo Lorenzetti

The reception of Augustine of Hippo's theory of slavery in colonial scholasticism in Latin America in the 16th and 17th centuries

The research project aims to achieve an in-depth understanding of the readings and interpretations to which Augustine of Hippo's (354–430) Theory of Slavery was subjected in the context of Scholastica Colonialis, as well as the influence this theory exerted on the position of some of the most important thinkers in the context of Iberian colonial Christianity in the centuries following the conquest of the "New World." To this end, a primary objective is to reconstruct Augustine's theory of slavery by reading and analyzing his main political writings.Special emphasis will be given to Book XIX of the treatise De Civitate Dei (The City of God), in whichAugustine, based on an exegetical reading of the so-called "Curse of Ham" (Gen. 9:20–27),commits to the thesis that slavery is imposed as a penalty for sin: "Sinis, therefore, the first cause of servitude (Prima ergo servitutis causa peccatum est)". This is a theological and philosophical assumption that directly influenced the "ideology of slavery" in Iberian Christianity during the 16th and 17th centuries, serving as one of the fundamental theoretical foundations of this ideology. This fact establishes the second objective of the research project: to investigate how Augustine's Theory of Slavery was read and interpreted by authors of the period. To this end, we will draw on the work of three figures in particular: a) Alonso de Sandoval SJ (1576–1652), a Jesuit priest and later bishop of Cartagena de las Indias (Colombia); b) the Spanish Capuchin Epifanio de Moirans OFMCap (1644–1689); c) the Spanish Capuchin Francisco José de Jaca OFMCap (1645–1689).

2020–2024
PhD in Philosophy, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, PUCRS, Brazil
Sandwich period (07–12/22) in Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn (Supervisor: Dr. Christoph Horn)
Supervisor: Dr. Roberto Hofmeister Pich

2018–2020
Master in Philosophy, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, PUCRS, Brazil
Supervisor: Dr. Roberto Hofmeister Pich

2014–2016
Bachelor in Philosophy, Berthier Higher Institute of Philosophy, IFIBE, Brazil
Supervisor: Dr. Paulo César Carbonari