Call Number:

MC.1157

Repository:

Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections

Extent:

9.6 linear ft. (21 boxes)

Language:

Spanish; Castilian

Preferred Citation:

Domingo Ricart papers (HC.MC.1157), Quaker & Special Collections, Haverford College, Haverford, PA.

Date:

1940s - 1970s (inclusive)

Creator:

Ricart, Domingo

Abstract:

This collection consists of the scholarly papers of Domingo Ricart, a long-time professor at the University of Kansas. Many of the materials relate to the 16th century writers and reformers Juan and Alfonso de Valdés.

Domingo Ricart was born May 9, 1901 in Molins de Llobregat, Catalonia, Spain. After earning a doctorate in history at the Sorbonne in Paris, he returned to Barcelona in 1928. In 1933, he married Margarita de las Barreras. When the Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936, Ricart was working for the YMCA in Barcelona. There, he met Alfred Jacob, an English Quaker sent by London Yearly Meeting to assess the needs of Spanish civilians during the war. Jacob and the Ricarts became friends, and Ricart joined the Servicio Internacional de los Amigos - Cuaqueros (International Service of Friends - Quakers). They distributed food and set up refugee camps for children. In February, 1939, Ricart escaped to France ahead of the fascist forces.

Alfred Jacob arranged for Ricart to get a scholarship to study at Woodbrooke, a center for Quaker Studies in Birmingham, England. There, Ricart studied the links between early Spanish mystics and Quakerism, and became a Quaker. Ricart was convinced that the mystic Spanish tradition, particularly Juan de Valdés, a 16th century writer and reformer, was very close to thoughts and writings of George Fox.

From 1942 to 1947, Ricart taught at the London Polytechnic Institute. In 1947, he and his family immigrated to the United States. From 1948 to 1971, Ricart taught Spanish literature and culture at the University of Kansas. Ricart continued to work with refugees, serving as a translator and interpreter for Central American refugees.

Ricart died in Boulder, Colorado, in April, 1987.

Sources: Nancy Dawson. "Domingo Ricart: A Life of Seeking and Serving." Friends Journal. February 1, 1988. Manuel de Leon. "Domingo Ricart y su impacto." Protestante Digital. December 9, 2015. http://protestantedigital.com/blogs/38194/domingo_ricart_y_su_impacto

The collection is divided into four sections: manuscripts, notes, notecards, and miscellaneous. The manuscripts series contains materials which Ricart was editing or preparing for publication, notably 110 Consideraciónes, Comentario Breve... sobre la Epístola de San Pablo a los Romanos, and Trataditos by Juan de Valdés. These materials include drafts with commentary and corrections.

The notes series consists of notes, either handwritten or typed, which Ricart took on a variety of topics. It is unclear whether they were in service of his publications or teaching. Major topics in include Juan and Alfonso de Valdés, Spanish religious writers and humanists, and their relationships to Erasmus, Castiglione, Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire, and religious and political events of their day.

The notecards series contains notes which Ricart kept on notecards, mainly related to Juan and Alfonso de Valdés.

Miscellaneous materials include articles by other scholars and newspaper clippings.

The collection is organized into four series. Occassionally, Ricart's folder titles have been maintained, but many were changed to be more descriptive of the contents of folders. Folder titles are generally in Spanish to reflect Ricart's own labeling of his work.