Jesuit Culture in Poland and Lithuania, 1564–1773

Abstract

The presence of the Society of Jesus in the culture of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the period 1564–1773 was certainly one of the most important elements in the process of building the religious, cultural, and political identity of this multinational and multiconfessional state, one of the largest in Europe at the time. The authors sketch the most important trends in research on this subject matter and present the leading authors and their studies. They point out the recent departure from the historiography produced within the Society and the remnants of earlier, largely apologetic writings, towards the “hermeneutic turn” taking place at the moment. They explain their decisions concerning the contents of the present issue of JJS , aimed at filling gaps in the knowledge of English-speaking scholars caused by the fact that the majority of studies concerning the activities of Jesuits in the Commonwealth are published in Polish and Lithuanian.