Introductory Topics in Middle East and North African Studies (290-4-2)

Topic

From Marrakesh to Madrid: Spain and North Africa,

Instructors

Alexandra Montero Peters

Meeting Info

Harris Hall L06: Tues, Thurs 3:30PM - 4:50PM

Overview of class

From Marrakesh to Madrid: Spain and North Africa, 700-1600

At its narrowest point, the Strait of Gibraltar separates the Iberian Peninsula from North Africa by less than eight nautical miles, and it follows that the histories of these two regions, its peoples, and Christianity and Islam are similarly enmeshed. This class delves into these interconnected and overlapping worlds across the medieval period from the Muslim conquests of Iberia to the early modern period, when King Philip III formally expelled those descended from Muslims from Spain. Within this long chronology, cosmopolitan societies flourished, empires rose and fell, identity was negotiated in text and art, and scientific advances were made. We will analyze rich and varied source materials to explore themes such as borderlands, social networks, diplomacy, gender, interfaith relations, and empire. We will meet heavily mythologized figures such as the Cid, Ibn Tūmart, and the Catholic Monarchs, and we will visit the halls of the Alhambra, the streets of Valencia, and the bustling city of Fez. While many travel guides to Spain focus on outdated concepts like Reconquest/Reconquista or interreligious coexistence/convivencia, or even blatantly erase the role of North Africa in Spain's past, this class will invite students to explore a near-millennium long case study of entwined Christian-Muslim histories, and to challenge the limits of categories such as "European" and "African" in premodern culture, identity, and society.

Learning Objectives

1) to guide students through interdisciplinary sources so that they can hone the skill of historical analysis;
2) to challenge students to explore modern questions about interfaith relations through the lens of history;
3) to improve how students develop and defend their scholarly opinion both in writing and in discussion.

Class Attributes

Historical Studies Foundational Discipline
Historical Studies Distro Area