On December 15, 2020 History of Science PhD Candidate Aimee Dávila Hisey appeared on the radio show and podcast “Inspiration Dissemination” hosted by OSU graduate students Daniel Watkins and Adrian Gallo, and broadcasted on KBVR, 88.7 the Oregon State University Radio Station. “Inspiration Dissemination” is also in podcast format and can be found at the Apple Store and other podcast platforms.
The interview focused on Hisey’s research on the lives of Jewish medical practitioners in the Spanish viceroyalties in the seventeenth century. The subject of Jewish persecution, unfortunately, is not novel in history. Over the centuries this has been well documented, but Hisey’s work shows that such persecution crossed the Atlantic to Latin America. Hisey’s research traces crypto-Jewish medical practitioners, their practice, and eventual denunciation to the Holy Office of the Inquisition. The Holy Office arrested, imprisoned, questioned, and tortured these men in its mission to eradicate the practice of Judaism in the viceroyalties. In studying these cases, Hisey hopes to understand how medical knowledge navigated from Europe to New Spain within trade networks, while circumventing political and religious oppression.
Hisey’s interview explains how the individuals in her research fit within the context of seventeenth-century Latin America. Hisey outlines her research methodology, and source material, while also discussing the difficulties in balancing such tragic events with sound historical analysis. The interview also discusses the excitement of working within the archive as well as the importance of a researcher’s positionality throughout the archival investigation and writing processes.
Lastly, Watkins, Gallo, and Hisey discussed the impact of COVID-19 on academic research. If you’re interested in seeing how the History and Philosophy of Science cohort have adapted their research during the pandemic, see this blog post[AH1] .
You can access Hisey’s full interview here:
[AH1]I think the most recent blot post (from december) was about this.
CATEGORIES: Graduate Students