Fundación Politeia

History of civilizations, taught in Madrid

Fundación Politeia organizes courses and lectures on the history of civilizations. Jorgina Gil-Delgado Heredia (Málaga, 1921–Madrid, 2013) launched the courses in 1969; Politeia became a cultural foundation in 1992. It is registered under number 199 with the ministry’s foundation oversight body and carries tax identification number G80418635.

The 2026–27 course

The annual lecture course for 2026–27 covers an era marked by invasions and wars alongside the emergence of European rationalism. Thinkers including Descartes and Bacon influenced political ideas associated with Hobbes and Grotius and the arts of the Baroque period. The foundation also makes videos of earlier lectures and podcasts of five-session seminars available online.

Earlier lecture courses

• 2025–26: History of Civilizations in the 16th Century
• 2024–25: History of Civilizations in the 15th Century
• 2023–24: Civilizations of the High and Late Middle Ages
• 2022–23: From Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages, 6th–10th Centuries
• 2021–22: The Roman Empire and Other Civilizations of Its Time
• 2020–21: Ancient Civilizations to the 3rd Century CE

Seminar podcasts

• 2024–25: The Chivalric Ideal in the Waning Middle Ages
• 2023–24: Love and Satire in Medieval Literature
• 2022–23: Against Melancholy: Moral Essays by Jewish Thinkers in the Modern Age, taught by Miguel García Baró Sanz
• 2021–22: Roman Literature, taught by Luis Alberto de Cuenca and Emilio del Río Sanz
• 2019–20: Religious and Moral Thought in the Ancient East, taught by Manuel Fraijó
• 2018–19: Bioethics, taught by Diego Gracia

Opening lecture and enrollment

Professor Manuel Rivero Rodríguez of the Autonomous University of Madrid is scheduled to open the 2026–27 course with The Spain of Don Quixote on Thursday, October 8, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. The lecture takes place at Colegio Chamberí, 12 Rafael Calvo Street, Madrid, and is free until the room reaches capacity. The foundation advertises a 12% discount for each person when an enrollee brings a friend in the 2026–27 lecture course.

Office and lecture venue

• Office: Paseo de la Castellana 105, 28046 Madrid
• Lecture hall: Colegio Chamberí, Rafael Calvo 12, 28010 Madrid
• Phones: 670 64 18 88 and 609 95 31 95
• Email: info@fundacionpoliteia.org