BELOWBLOWERS · Whistleblowers before Whistleblowing: Denouncing Corruption from below in the Seventeenth-Century Spanish Empire

Whistleblowers before Whistleblowing: Denouncing Corruption from below in the Seventeenth-Century Spanish Empire (BELOWBLOWERS) investigates the historical roots of whistleblowing by focusing on corruption denunciations in the Spanish Empire during the early seventeenth century. It examines how ordinary citizens in Mexico, Sicily, and Catalonia actively scrutinized and challenged public officials during accountability procedures known as Visitas (1604–1606). Drawing on 361 prosecutions and over 4,000 testimonies, the project reconstructs the social and demographic profiles of denouncers, analyzing their age, gender, profession, literacy, motivations, and relationships with accused officials. Combining quantitative database analysis with qualitative case studies, BELOWBLOWERS reveals how vigilance practices empowered individuals and communities to defend the public good, while also addressing the risks of retaliation and early protection mechanisms such as safe conducts. This bottom-up approach challenges traditional elite-focused narratives by situating ordinary men and women as central actors in anti-corruption enforcement and political participation. It explores how denunciation operated not only as a legal tool but also as a form of social practice, embedded in local communities and mobilized in broader political conflicts. By systematically coding testimonies into a relational database and applying statistical methods, the project introduces an innovative digital humanities methodology to corruption studies. Ultimately, BELOWBLOWERS provides new insights into the social fabric of vigilance, the limits of engagement in premodern societies, and the long-term historical roots of contemporary debates on accountability and whistleblower protection.