The Worlds of Junípero Serra: Historical Contexts and Cultural Representations

This volume offers a nuanced exploration of Junípero Serra's life and legacy, challenging polarizing narratives by contextualizing his missionary career within the complex political, cultural, and religious landscapes of early modern Majorca, New Spain, and 19th-century United States. It reveals how Serra's use of baroque aesthetics shaped Catholic spaces on empire's fringes and highlights miscommunications between his paternal authority model and Native Californian practices, underscoring the intentional withholding of knowledge by Indigenous peoples. The collection also examines Anglo-American reappropriations of Serra while noting an opportunity to further explore Mexican interpretations and broader imperial contexts.

Sussman, N. (2019). The Worlds of Junípero Serra: Historical Contexts and Cultural Representations. Hispanic American Historical Review, 99(3), 561–563. https://doi.org/10.1215/00182168-7573728