Renaissance: Remaking of the World as a Sephardic People with Prof Roger Martinez-Dávila

"Renaissance: Remaking of the World as a Sephardic People" investigates the transformative impact of the Renaissance on Sephardic Jews, particularly as they navigated forced migration, religious challenges, and cultural adaptation. This lecture reveals how Sephardic communities contributed to and were shaped by Renaissance humanism, science, commerce, and intellectual networks, crafting a unique identity that bridged Jewish heritage with the vibrant cultural currents of early modern Europe and the Americas.

About Dr. Roger Martínez-Dávila: My connection to Jewish history is rooted in a lifelong relationship with Spain and my late father's question, "Who are we?" This question shaped my first book, Creating Conversos: The Carvajal-Santa María Family in Early Modern Spain (2018), which examines the 14th-century origins of my family, a blend of Spanish Catholic knightly and Jewish rabbinic families. Somos católicos, somos judíos. We are the resilient, fractured conversos. I serve on the Queen Sofia Spanish Institute’s Commission for the 1776-2026 America&Spain250 initiative. At the Primeras Jornadas "America&Spain250" in May 2024, I will presented a lecture titled, “Traigo nuevas de las Américas. Presencia sefardita en el suroeste de los Estados Unidos.”

I hold a Ph.D. in History and a B.A. in Humanities from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) from UC Berkeley.

Please support our activities and programs tinyurl.com/JUniTDiDonate.