The ^AEnlightenment on Trial: Ordinary Litigants and Colonialism in the Spanish Empire

Published by Oxford University Press in 2017, this monograph examines the judicial landscape of the eighteenth-century Spanish Empire. Bianca Premo, a historian specializing in Latin American studies, utilizes extensive archival research from Lima to uncover how ordinary individuals navigated colonial legal systems. The work challenges traditional narratives of the Enlightenment by demonstrating that litigation was not merely a tool of elite statecraft but a platform where subjects of various social strata asserted their rights and agency.

The book design reflects its scholarly intent, prioritizing accessibility and clarity to bridge the gap between academic research and broader historical discourse. Premo aimed to move beyond intellectual history to focus on the lived experience of the law, highlighting the voices of those often marginalized in the colonial record. It has been well received within academic circles for its methodological rigor and its contribution to globalizing the history of the Enlightenment beyond its European centers.