Kolloquium

This presentation examines the culture of books and reading in the Jesuit missions of colonial South America, focusing on the Guaraní missions of the Paraguay region through the lens of their libraries. Drawing on inventories and a wide range of documents, it considers how large missionary libraries—some among the most significant in the region—were created, what they contained, and how they were used. Far from relying on commercial networks, these collections emerged from Jesuit global and corporate strategies and played a central role in evangelisation, the establishment of normative orders, and the shaping of subjectivities. Significantly, some literate Guaraní engaged in reading practices linked to these libraries and appropriated books from them, thereby taking part in a book culture initially developed by the Jesuits. Ultimately, the libraries of the missions illuminate key aspects of global history, missionary knowledge, and the relationship between colonial contexts and media.