Bio

Francisco Bethencourt is Charles Boxer Chair at the Department of Portuguese and Brazilian Studies at King’s College, University of London, and a leading authority on the history of the Portuguese-speaking world. He recently published the first global history of racism from the crusades to the twentieth century based on original research. He previously published the only comprehensive history of the early modern Inquisition, which is available in French, Portuguese, Spanish, Serbian and English editions. Professor Bethencourt has edited and co-edited twenty books and issues of journals.

Prior to joining King's in 2005, Francisco Bethencourt lectured at Universidade Nova de Lisboa. He was Visiting Professor at the Universidade de São Paulo and Brown University. He has been a member of the advisory councils of historical institutes in London, Paris and Lisbon. Professor Bethencourt currently serves on the advisory board of several Portuguese, Spanish and Brazilian journals and has been supervisor or consultant of doctoral and postdoctoral research programmes in London, Leiden, Bologna and Coimbra.