Catholic Performance Culture in Early Modern England

During the early modern period, the Protestant English state persecuted Catholics, excluding them from political life. The EU-funded project ‘Catholic Performance Culture in Early Modern England’ (Caper) studies this marginalised community by analysing theatrical forms of recreation and sociability that English Catholics engaged in. It undertakes an innovative approach to exploring inequality, intolerance and social exclusion, issues that also represent the main challenges for the future of Europe. CaPer comprehensively investigates how Catholics used theatre, dance, music, sports and ceremonies to create communal bonds, negotiate their place in a hostile society, and advance Catholic Reformation in the period between Elizabeth I’s accession to the throne in 1558 and the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. Relying on a variety of archival and literary sources, CaPer rethinks the cultural history of English Catholics, introduces to historiography previously neglected historical actors and practices, and expands our knowledge of religious coexistence in early modern Europe.