Anti-Catholicism in the Long Eighteenth Century
Charles W.A. Prior, Department of History, McMaster University.
American Society for Eighteenth Century Studies,
Philadelphia, PA. April 12-16, 2000.
"Popery is the most dreadful machine, the utmost stench of human politicks,
that ever was invented amongst men, to aggrandise and enrich the clergy, to
oppress and enslave the laity. All its doctrines, all its views, all its
artifices, are calculated for the sole advantage of the priests, and the
destruction of the people, at the expence of virtue, good government, common
sense, and the gospel" (Cato's Letters)
To anyone familiar with English political and imaginative writing in the
early modern period, the theme of anti-Catholicism is a dominant one. While
Catholics did not comprise a very large segment of the population, a reading
of polemical works creates the impression that
the destruction of English society at their hands was a constant
possibility. Indeed, the theme was an old and durable one, coming into
prominence following the excommunication of Elizabeth I in 1570, and lasting
into the nineteenth century and beyond. It employed generations of
polemicists, sparked riots, and gave rise to scores of rumours about plots
to establish arbitrary government at the expense of English freedom. For all
of this abundance, however, the subject has largely failed to attract the
attention of scholars, although recent works suggest that this trend is
being reversed. It will be the purpose of this panel to open up the study
of anti-Catholic feeling through papers drawn from scholars in several
disciplines. A maximum of three papers will be commissioned, and the chair
will provide a commentary on the group at the end of the seminar.
Please send proposals, by September 15th, to the address below.
Charles W.A. Prior
Department of History
Chester New Hall, Rm. 619
McMaster University
Hamilton, On
CANADA
L8S 4L9
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