In recent years much scholarly attention has been focused on the encounter of cultures during the early modern period, and the global implications that such encounters held. As a result of this work, scholars have now begun to re-evaluate many aspects of early culture contact, not least with respect to Christian missionary activities. Taking as its focus the city of Naples, this study illuminates how one group of missionaries, the Jesuits, worked to bring 'civilization' not only to far away pagan lands, but also to 'barbarous' and 'ungovernable' regions within Christian Europe. It is argued that this work within Christendom had a marked influence on the Jesuits that affected their outlook and global civilizing mission.

Jennifer D. Selwyn is Associate Professor in the Department of History at the University of New Hampshire, USA.

Contents: Introduction; A paradise inhabited by devils; 'Planting many virtues there': early Jesuit missions in Naples, 1550-1620; Reverberations from the New World; 'Use every means that you will judge opportune': instructions to Jesuit missionaries; Taming the beast: confronting discord in early modern Naples; Perfecting one's craft: Jesuit missionary theater in Naples; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.