Confessional impartiality in Europe at the turn of the 18th century: Projects, networks and cultural transfers

Central to the essay is the category of confessional impartiality, which emerged in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. In the sources that I will analyze, this notion can be considered as the criticism of confessional barriers or as the refusal to accept dogmatic and doctrinal distinctions or even as an attempt to establish contacts or a dialogue between individuals and/or groups belonging to different confessions (in some cases groups that exist on the margins of these confessions or even outside of them) . I will try to show that this category does not infer mere latitudinarianism or a lack of a clear confessional identity, nor a mere “anticonfessionalism” (intended as pars denstruens). My proposal is to explore this category by referring to two closely linked aspects: 1. Cultural practices, works, and literary genres; 2. Transconfessional networks and shared projects (completely or partially shared) involving various supporters of impartiality.