Rômulo da Silva Ehalt

Rômulo da Silva Ehalt is a Post-doctoral Researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory in Frankfurt since 2021. His work focuses on the production of religious and legal normativities in early modern Iberian colonial contexts, particularly in Asia and the Global South. He has held academic positions at institutions in Japan, including Tokyo University of Foreign Studies and Keio University.

• PhD in Global Studies (2011–2018), Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
• Master in Area Studies (2008–2010), Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
• Bachelor in History (2001–2005), Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro

Ehalt’s research explores intersections between Jesuit missionary ethics, colonial legal frameworks, and local Asian practices. Key themes include slavery in Portuguese and Spanish Asian territories, moral theology under the Society of Jesus, and the role of casuistry in resolving intercultural conflicts. His current “Evidences of Truth” book project examines Francisco Rodrigues SJ’s normative writings and their impact on early modern Asia.

Recent publications analyze slavery’s conceptual asymmetries in Iberian Asia, manuscript-based Jesuit intellectual authority, and Tokugawa legislation on bondage. He contributes to debates on glocal normativity production, comparing Portuguese and Spanish strategies in Asia and the Americas. Collaborative work includes a forthcoming annotated edition of Rodrigues’ writings and a facsimile of Lopo de Abreu’s Summa Lusitana.