Creating Suspects. Security Politics and Colonial Rule in the Spanish Empire

Introduction

SUSPICIO proposes an entirely new hypothesis in the field of modern history as well as in Hispanic studies: that security became a key concept of governance in the late Spanish Empire (ca. 1770–1820). This phenomenon began in the last quarter of the 18th century when Spain felt the threat of losing its American colonies through external events that questioned the colonial rule, including US independence and the influence of the French revolution.

Perception of Threat

The perception of threat and the Spanish government’s distrust of their own population in America gave rise to extensive security regulations and measures in order to protect the colonial order.

Research Focus

With my extensive expertise in both archive research and Hispanic studies, SUSPICIO will, for the first time, study thus far neglected sources of political crime. The novel approach to these sources will analyze how the colonial administration identified and judged those individuals who were perceived to be a threat to the order, i.e., who were categorized as ‘suspects’.

Criteria for Suspects

There was no longer the requirement for a rebellious act to already have occurred in order to make an individual an enemy of the state, but rather the mere suspicion that a person would perhaps – in the future – act against the state.

Impact of Security Measures

SUSPICIO will study to what extent the creation and persecution of ‘suspects’ polarized the people so that, rather than preserving the colonial rule, it had a debilitating effect.

New Interpretations

By regarding the ambivalence and counterproductive effects of security politics, the project promises a new interpretation of the dissolution of the Spanish Empire. Its case may serve as an example, even for today, of how supra-national political entities can collapse under the pressure of security concerns, even though these security measures were meant to preserve them.