Agustin V. Startari
In The Apostles of Faith: In the Writings of Friar Bartolomé de las Casas, author Agustin V. Startari invites readers to enter the mind and work of this important historical figure. Through a careful selection of the writings and letters of Friar Bartolomé de las Casas, Startari offers a distinctive and original perspective on the conquest of the Americas and the relationship between Spaniards and Indigenous peoples.From Friar Bartolomé’s perspective, the author shows how evangelization and the defense of the freedom and dignity of Indigenous peoples could be articulated within the intellectual horizon of the sixteenth century. His intervention occupies a central place in early debates over the lawfulness of conquest, war, slavery, jurisdiction, and the rights of Indigenous communities, questions that contemporary historiography examines without uncritically projecting the modern vocabulary of human rights onto the sixteenth century.The Apostles of Faith is intended for readers interested in the history of the Americas, religion, and the legal, political, and theological controversies of the first phase of Hispanic expansion. The book presents Friar Bartolomé de las Casas as a decisive and controversial figure whose work continues to be reassessed by historians because of his defense of Indigenous peoples, his conception of evangelization, his relationship to the imperial order, and the internal tensions of his own thought.This series brings together independent studies that explore power, ideology, legitimacy, and history from a cross-disciplinary perspective. Each volume is a self-contained work, yet forms part of a common line of inquiry: the critical analysis of how power is configured, exercised, and sustained over time. From ancient Egypt to twentieth-century totalitarianism, Working Papers presents, with academic rigor and clear prose, the historical and discursive mechanisms that shape our societies. Each installment is numbered to indicate its place within this evolving series.Agustín V. Startari, born in 1982, is a prominent Uruguayan author, thinker, and researcher with a strong academic background in Historical Sciences and Linguistics from the University of the Republic (UdelaR). His career encompasses a broad range of works, from historical research books to fiction and works on Buddhism, demonstrating his versatility and commitment to exploring diverse subjects.His notable works include Creation of an Empire: The Egyptian Old Kingdom, which examines the consolidation of this enigmatic civilization, and Propaganda Machinery: National Socialism, which analyzes this historically significant phenomenon. He has also written Evangelization in the Writings of Friar Bartolomé, a work that analyzes the influence of evangelization in history, and Ukraine and Russia: An Ongoing Conflict, a study of the continuing conflict between the two countries.
