Project description
Early global atheism and the construction of belief in early modernity
European writings about non-Western societies in the early modern era frequently depicted these societies as atheistic, showing the ways in which concepts of faith and unbelief were used in the analysis of cultures different from the European one. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the EGLA project aims to study the descriptions of atheism in the non-European world made by missionary writers, theologians and philosophers of the 16th to 18th centuries, with particular emphasis on China and the Americas. This will include the role played by categories of savagery, civilisation and universality in shaping atheism as an ethnographic concept and the implications of such descriptions for the development of Western thought.
Objective
Atheism in the early modern era is often perceived as an exclusively European phenomenon. However, numerous accounts written by missionaries, travelers, philosophers, and theologians between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries describe non-European societies—particularly in China and the Americas—as atheistic. This project, Early Global Atheism (EGLA), offers the first systematic investigation of these sources and advances the hypothesis that atheism was employed as an ethnological category to classify beliefs and populations outside Europe, drawing on notions of “savage,” “civilized,” and “universal” atheism. Chronologically, this research spans from the jesuit Manuel da Nóbrega’s 1556 account of pre-Columbian peoples to the theologian Jacob Reimmann’s 1725 Historia Universalis Atheismi. Methodologically, the project combines tools from history and anthropology to analyze how these reports influenced European theological and philosophical debates. Under the supervision of Prof. Joan-Pau Rubiés at Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), the research will benefit from UPF’s strengths in Chinese studies and global history, as well as targeted training in digital humanities and project management. Expected outcomes include two articles, a monograph, participation in three conferences and workshops, the development of a graduate course, the creation of the digital map database (Global Atheism, GLOA), and the curation of a public exhibition at Casa Asia (Barcelona) called Other Atheisms (OAS). The central ambition of this project—thus far underexplored by historiography—is to assess how missionary and traveler accounts of supposed atheism outside Europe shaped the concept of atheism in the early Enlightenment.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences computer and information sciences databases
- humanities history and archaeology history
- social sciences sociology anthropology
You need to log in or register to use this function
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
08002 Barcelona
Spain
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.