Alessandro Valignano: Man, Missionary, and Writer
- Format:
- Journal Article
- Year:
- 2003
- Journal Title:
- Renaissance Studies
- Volume:
- 17
- Issue:
- 3
- Language:
- Abstract:
The Italian missionary Alessandro Valignano (1539–1606) was responsible for all Jesuit missions in India, Japan, and China from 1573 to 1606. He soon came to be one of the most influential Europeans in Japan at a key juncture in the history of unification of that country. Although his activities fell principally within the ecclesiastical administration of the Portuguese Padroado, his influence extended to the political, economic, and even military matters regarding the Iberian presence in East Asia. Valignano is best known for his lasting contribution to the development of a new model of Christian expansion. His bold and controversial ideas concerning the necessity to respect fully and adapt to the highly developed cultures of Japan and China were to have a lasting effect on all subsequent missionary enterprises in the region and produced some startling results at the level of cross-cultural encounters.
- Who (Jesuits):
- What (Subjects):
- Where (Locations):
- When (Centuries):
- Worldcat URL:
- Page Range:
- 337–366
- ISSN:
- 1477-4658