Places and forms of sociability in 16th- and 17th- century Lisbon

Abstract

This article explores the spaces in Lisbon where, during the sixteenth century and the early decades of the seventeenth, the urban  population engaged most frequently in informal social interaction. Drawing on a set of inquisitorial proceedings that mention the  locations where conversations took place – during which transgressions against dominant religious or moral norms were revealed –,  his study aims to identify the most common sites of sociability used by the population as settings for such revelations. The selection  of these places was influenced by factors such as accessibility, comfort, privacy, or other contextual conditions. The underlying  assumption is that being a New Christian or being suspected of any offence in the eyes of the Holy Office did not fundamentally alter everyday aspects of life, such as the places people moved through or where they happened to cross paths.