Willing Assent and Forceful Jurisdiction in Bartolomé de Las Casas: A Provocation toward the Territorial Problem of Interreligous Human Rights Practice

• Autores: Andrew Wilson
• Localización: Eu-topías: revista de interculturalidad, comunicación y estudios europeos, ISSN 2174-8454, ISSN-e 2340-115X, Nº. 3, 2012 (Ejemplar dedicado a: Religion, Politique, Culture), págs. 99-109
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Bartolomé de Las Casas (1484-1566) is commonly known for his defense of Native Americans rights and rationality. For this, Las Casas is revered as a patron of anti-colonialism and human rights. This paper shows how his Defense of the Indians, rather than being chiefly concerned with distinguishing Indians from racially different barbarians and natural slaves---the standard anthropological interpretation of modern interpreters---is understood as distinguishing Indians from religiously different Moors, Turks, Saracens, and Jews. It explores the jurisprudential context of the crusades in Las Casas�s argument, and highlights the supreme importance of how a Christian�s right to �contentious jurisdiction� over territory is exercised. Final comments urge the distinction of Las Casas�s anthropological and territorial concerns, and encourage interreligious dialogue to better address the problem of territory.