Jen Pearce - Review of On Earth or in Poems for Literature & History (original) (raw)
Related papers
Cultural Legacy of al-Andalus and its Reception in Contemporary Spain
2019
The purpose of this thesis work is to investigate the cultural legacy of the al-Andalus period and its reception in contemporary Spain. To fulfill the research objective set, it was necessary to answer the following questions: How important is this period in the history of Spain? How much of its influence can be noticed today? How much historical and cultural knowledge do the Spanish have on this subject? The answers to these questions result from the analysis of an extensive source database and the realization of a series of semi-structured interviews with Spaniards, which were necessary to understand and develop the subject. The work is divided into three sections: the first describes the history of al-Andalus and some additional aspects of interest, such as the etymology and the idea of the myth of al-Andalus. In the next section, the topic of the Muslim legacy remained on the Iberian Peninsula is developed. It describes cities important during the Muslim rule, their architecture and well-known monuments, as well as visible influence in the following areas: language, music, literature and cuisine. The last part focuses more on practical aspects: it is based on interviews with Spaniards and it analyzes their attitude towards all the issues raised in the theoretical parts. The greatest number of conclusions can be derived from the research described in empirical chapter. According to the collected information, the Arab legacy in Spain is extensive and rooted in Spanish culture for so long that without its presence, Spain, as we know today, would not be the same. It may seem that more than 800 years (8th – 15th) of developing the Arab culture in Spain has still been very much alive, because this cultural legacy continues to be extremely impactful in areas such as: tourism, economy and social coexistence of different groups (convivencia).
The Victors and the Vanquished: Recovering the History of Al-Andalus
Annals of Philosophy, Social and Human Disciplines, 2014
Cultural encounters between Spain and Morocco have been marked by hatred, friendship and hostile contempt throughout various historical junctures. The Muslim presence in modern Spain has shaped cultural representations between Self and Other, West and East, Europe and its Otherness. This historically imagined hostility and the everlasting tension created between East and West could be traced back as early as Medieval ages when Muslims conquered Southern Europe. This episode of history gave rise to frequently manipulated and constructed misrepresentations which served in the production of distorted and often disfigured discourses about the Muslim Other in the western popular imagination. This article looks at this historical event and attempts to shed light on the historical circumstances surrounding the Moorish presence in medieval Spain. It also tries to look at one of plays that enhance the existence of the cultural Other within a white territory of disapproval, annihilation and s...
2018
References to the history of al-Andalus, the medieval Muslim territory of the Iberian Peninsula, in what is today the region of Andalusia (Spain) still have a palpable presence and relevance. This dissertation examines diverse accounts of the Arab-Islamic past, and the ways and contexts in which they are invoked. Based on a year and a half of fieldwork in Granada, Spain, I conducted interviews with ordinary Andalusians, academics and researchers (primarily historians), tour guides, historical novelists, high school history teachers, Spanish-born Muslim converts to Islam, Moroccans, and others involved in the contemporary production of this history. Moreover, I conducted participant observation at national and regional commemorations, celebrations and historical sites, areas where this ‘Moorish’ history, as it is commonly known, is a central feature. I argue that: (1) historical accounts of al-Andalus cannot be reduced to the two polarized versions (or “sides”) dominant in political discourse and in much academic debate – one that views the Reconquista as liberation and another that views it as a tragedy – rather, there is a broad and often neglected spectrum between these opposing versions; (2) Andalusia draws on the Arab-Islamic past to promote its tourist industry, and its economic, political and cultural relations with the Arab world. It is safe to suggest that Andalusia is pulled between a history that bridges Europe and the Arab world, and a contemporary European border that reminds us of contemporary geopolitical divisions and separations; (3) Andalusian history and historical sites are commodified to maintain revenue from the tourist industry. Yet, in the process, inhabitants of the Albayzin, the Moorish quarter, adopt similar tourist practices to learn about their own history and appropriate global heritage tourism discourse to contest governmental decisions that benefit tourists to the detriment of residents; (4) commemorations and celebrations in the city weave together a dominant narrative that reinforces the national narrative and its myth of origin; concurrently, these annual rituals provide spaces for alternative versions to circulate, including those that are opposed to the official versions. Importantly, the Día de la Toma (Day of the Capture) commemoration symbolizing national unity is the most publicly contested.