Another Face of Empire: Bartolome de las Casas, Indigenous Rights, and Ecclesiastical Imperialism.Daniel Castro. Another Face of Empire: Bartolome de las Casas Las Ca·sas , Bartolomé de Known as "Apostle of the Indies." 1474-1566. Spanish missionary and historian who sought to abolish the oppression and enslavement of the native peoples in the Americas. , Indigenous Rights, and Ecclesiastical Imperialism. Latin America Latin America, the Spanish-speaking, Portuguese-speaking, and French-speaking countries (except Canada) of North America, South America, Central America, and the West Indies. Otherwise: Languages, Empires, Nations. Durham: Duke University Press, 2007. xii + 234 pp. index. bibl. $74.95 (cl), $21.95 (pbk). ISBN ISBN abbr. International Standard Book Number ISBN International Standard Book Number ISBN n abbr (= International Standard Book Number) → ISBN m : 978-0-8223-3930-4 (cl), 978-0-8223-3939-7 (pbk). Daniel Castro has composed a highly readable and well-thought-out study of Bartolome de las Casas in the context of his times. It constitutes a nice dose of reality about a figure who, even today, generates sharp points of view. Castro notes that Las Casas's accomplishments were rarely as grand as his aspirations and that his supposedly benign plans for the natives did not permit them autonomy or their own path to conversion. "Although he claimed to act for the oppressed op·press tr.v. op·pressed, op·press·ing, op·press·es 1. To keep down by severe and unjust use of force or authority: a people who were oppressed by tyranny. 2. , he rarely acted with them, and there is no evidence that at any time he worked with the natives to transform them from passive objects into active subjects responsible for transforming their own fate" (5). While Las Casas's reputation lies on his supposed efforts to obtain better treatment for the Indians, it is a rare author who makes a concerted effort to assess the practical outcome of his work among them. Also often overlooked by students of Las Casas is his deep commitment to convert the natives to Christianity. "From his writings and practice it is apparent that as a Spaniard he fully shared his compatriots' belief that the dissemination dissemination Medtalk The spread of a pernicious process–eg, CA, acute infection Oncology Metastasis, see there of the Christian faith was their divinely ordained or·dain tr.v. or·dained, or·dain·ing, or·dains 1. a. To invest with ministerial or priestly authority; confer holy orders on. b. To authorize as a rabbi. 2. mission" (7). Las Casas never appeared to have grasped the inherent contradiction of seeking to impose a foreign religious system on cultures that already possessed well-defined theological beliefs and carefully constructed cosmologies. "It was not until the waning years of his life that his deeds and words raised the possibility of Spain's withdrawal or the renunciation The Abandonment of a right; repudiation; rejection. The renunciation of a right, power, or privilege involves a total divestment thereof; the right, power, or privilege cannot be transferred to anyone else. of its possessions in the New World" (11). The book is divided into a substantial introduction, six chapters whose titles do not always immediately reveal their topics, and a conclusion. The bibliography is extensive, but does not cite any archival materials. It does, however, note many published chronicles and sets of original documents. Las Casas and his fellow religious reformers sometimes took on the same behavior that they denounced among the colonists: they rarely consulted with the natives about matters that concerned them. Consequently, the native peoples were largely subject to the views of their supposed clerical protectors. "The indigenous people were rarely, if ever, consulted or allowed to express their opinion about matters that concerned them" (33). With negative attitudes toward the Indians so pervasive among the colonists and officials, Las Casas felt that one of his major duties was to emphasize the Indians' spiritual and physical virtues. That the reformers ultimately relied on the crown to enact legislation to ameliorate a·mel·io·rate tr. & intr.v. a·me·lio·rat·ed, a·me·lio·rat·ing, a·me·lio·rates To make or become better; improve. See Synonyms at improve. [Alteration of meliorate. the plight of the natives constituted a definite flaw in their system, for the king could not afford to alter the existing system for fear of incurring significant financial losses. A good example of this problem is the Laws of Burgos The document known as the Leyes de Burgos (Laws of Burgos) was promulgated on December 27, 1512 in Burgos, Spain. They were the first codified set of laws governing the behavior of Spanish settlers in America, particularly with regards to native Indians. , which provided no provisions for enforcement. "In his early proposals, Las Casas showed almost a total disregard for the cultural integrity of those he was supposed to protect. In these early memorials, he seemed indifferent to the way in which converting them to Christianity, moving them into reducciones, or making them subjects of Spain might have affected their traditional way of life" (76). Castro points out that one of the greatest ironies about Las Casas's career is that, although he was largely devoted to the cause of the Indians, during his nearly forty years in the Americas he rarely had direct contact with them. Further, Las Casas never learned any native languages, which made him dependent on interpreters for his communication with the indigenous peoples The term indigenous peoples has no universal, standard or fixed definition, but can be used about any ethnic group who inhabit the geographic region with which they have the earliest historical connection. . He had little understanding of the numerous social distinctions among the Indians. "However, Las Casas's inability to understand the complexity of class differentiations among the natives lent support to the creation of a dominant native class willing to continue exploiting other natives in the same ways the Spaniards had been doing up to that time" (143). Daniel Castro deserves praise for the clarity and freshness of his insights on Las Casas in this book. He points out and eliminates much of the tendentiousness ten·den·tious also ten·den·cious adj. Marked by a strong implicit point of view; partisan: a tendentious account of the recent elections. that so often typifies writings about the great Franciscan and thereby composes a highly useful book. JOHN E. KICZA Washington State University Washington State University, at Pullman; land-grant and state supported; chartered 1890, opened 1892 as an agriculture college. From 1905 to 1959 it was the State College of Washington. 
Castro's work is helpful for extracting the casual student of Las Casas from a rosy reputation, present to some extent since the revolutions of the 19th century, that the priest turned Dominican was some kind of cultural relativist who believed native culture should have been preserved. While Las Casas was very interested in preserving indigenous American life, his ultimate goal was always the successful and peaceful (sans swords) spread of Christian civilization.
Though faithful to correct the dominance of this historiographical trend, Castro's does not address or seem to appreciate the relative improvements suggested by Las Casas. To expect a sixteenth century Spaniard to respect diversity as a twenty-first century American is uncharitable. In his milieu, Las Casas deserves honor not as an cultural preserver, but as a pugnatious advocate and innovator of the best of his medieval intellectual inheritance: a non-violent relationship with non-Christian lands. Andrew Wilson |
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