The crescent remembered
Subtitle: Islam and nationalism in the Iberian peninsula
By: Patricia Hertel
Series: Sussex studies in Spanish history
Publisher: Sussex Academic Press
Published: 2015
Place of publication: Chicago
Language: eng
Number of pages: 233
ISBN-13: 9781845196547
Subjects: Muslims; Public opinion; HISTORY / Europe / Spain & Portugal; RELIGION / Islam / History; Relations; Islam
Work titles: Erinnerte Halbmond
Description: "Contemporary Spain and Portugal share a historical experience as Iberian states that emerged within the context of al-Andalus. These centuries of Muslim presence in the Middle Ages became a contested heritage during the process of modern nation-building with its varied concepts and constructs of national identities. Politicians, historians, and intellectuals debated vigorously the question how the Muslim past could be reconciled with the idea of the Catholic nation. The Crescent Remembered investigates the processes of exclusion and integration of the Islamic past within the national narratives. It analyzes discourses of historiography, Arabic studies, mythology, popular culture, and colonial policies toward Muslim populations from the 19th century to the dictatorships of Franco and Salazar in the 20th century. In particular, it explores why, despite apparent historical similarities, in Spain and Portugal entirely different strategies and discourses concerning the Islamic past emerged. In the process, it seeks to shed light on the role of the Iberian Peninsula as a crucial European historical "contact zone" with Islam"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.