The making of the mainstream and the alternative: the colonial dimensions of spirituality during the Spanish colonisation of Tåno' Låguas yan Gåni (the Mariana Islands)

Abstract: The growth of European empires disseminated dominant religious traditions to places alien to Euro-centred spiritualities, transforming them into a means of imperial control. In the Pacific, the colonization of the Mariana Islands, home of the CHamoru people, and the establishment of a Catholic mission in 1668 turned a foreign, minority faith into the religious mainstream. This “spiritual conquest” involved the displacement of Indigenous spiritualities to the category of alternative. Here I examine how Spanish colonists weaponized the Catholic faith to re-shape Indigenous and non-Indigenous ways of being, creating new socio-emotional communities more in accordance with the 17th century Ibero-Catholic ethos.

Presenter bio: Matilde Carbajo is an archaeologist and cultural anthropologist. She is a La Caixa Fellow-PhD candidate and lecturer at Pompeu Fabra University (Spain). She currently researches Spanish colonialism and Indigenous healing systems and knowledge transmission with a focus on the Mariana Islands. Other research interests include ethnomedicine, ethnobotany, and heritage management.

Affiliation: Humanities Department. Pompeu Fabra University