Key research themes
1. How did the Spanish monarchy establish and maintain political power across its diverse territories through viceregal institutions and administrative reforms?
This theme investigates the mechanisms by which the Spanish monarchy exercised authority over its vast and heterogenous empire, focusing on the role of viceregal governance, the creation of new viceroyalties, and fiscal-administrative reforms. Understanding these structures is crucial for grasping how imperial power was performed, negotiated, and adapted in colonial and peninsular contexts, reflecting tensions between centralization efforts and local agency.
2. In what ways did ceremonial, performative, and cultural practices support the diplomacy and international representation of the Spanish monarchy?
This theme explores how the Spanish monarchy employed diplomacy as a form of political theatre, utilizing cultural performances such as theatrical productions, symbolic rituals, and ceremonial acts to project power, mediate relations, and legitimize authority both internally and externally. Investigating diplomatic culture elucidates the monarchy’s strategies in managing its European and global image amid political and dynastic challenges.
3. How have personal identities, image construction, and dynastic narratives shaped the political and cultural perception of the Spanish monarchy?
This theme examines the construction of royal identity through symbolic imagery, fashion, genealogical discourse, and dynastic memory. It investigates how queenship, lineage, and personal performance contributed to political legitimacy and public reception within Spain and across Europe, reflecting tensions between tradition and modernity, and the monarchy’s response to changing social expectations.