The myth of the Andalusian paradise : Muslims, Christians, and Jews under Islamic rule in medieval Spain / Darío Fernández-Morera.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fernández-Morera, Darío, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Myth--Political aspects.

History.

Myth.

Social control.

Religious tolerance.

Jews.

Christians.

Muslims.

Islam and politics.

Andalusia (Spain)--Politics and government.

Andalusia (Spain).

Andalusia (Spain)--Ethnic relations--History.

Spain--History--711-1516.

Spain.

Islam and politics--Spain--History.

Muslims--Spain--Andalusia--History.

Christians--Spain--Andalusia--History.

Jews--Spain--Andalusia--History.

Religious tolerance--Spain--Andalusia--History.

Social control--Spain--Andalusia--History.

Myth--Political aspects--Spain--History.

Ethnic relations.

Politics and government.

Spain--Andalusia.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

ix, 358 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Wilmington, Deleware : ISI Books, [2016]

Summary:

"Scholars, journalists, and even politicians uphold Muslim-ruled medieval Spain--'al-Andalus'--as a multicultural paradise, a place where Muslims, Christians, and Jews lived in harmony. There is only one problem with this widely accepted account: it is a myth. In this groundbreaking book, Northwestern University scholar Dario Fernandez-Morera tells the full story of Islamic Spain. The Myth of the Andalusian Paradise shines light on hidden history by drawing on an abundance of primary sources that scholars have ignored, as well as archaeological evidence only recently unearthed. This supposed beacon of peaceful coexistence began, of course, with the Islamic Caliphate's conquest of Spain. Far from a land of religious tolerance, Islamic Spain was marked by religious and therefore cultural repression in all areas of life and the marginalization of Christians and other groups--all this in the service of social control by autocratic rulers and a class of religious authorities. The Myth of the Andalusian Paradise provides a desperately needed reassessment of medieval Spain. As professors, politicians, and pundits continue to celebrate Islamic Spain for its 'multiculturalism' and 'diversity,' Fernandez-Morera sets the historical record straight--showing that a politically useful myth is a myth nonetheless"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Conquest and Reconquest

The Effects of the Jihad : The Destruction of a Nascent Civilization

The Daily Realities of al-Andalus

The Myth of Umayyad Tolerance : Inquisitions, Beheadings, Impalings, and Crucifixions

Women in Islamic Spain : Female Circumcision, Stoning, Veils, and Sexual Slavery

The Truth about the Jewish Community's "Golden Age"

The Christian Condition : From Dhimmis to Extinction

Epilogue.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 337-348) and index.

ISBN:

9781610170956

1610170954

OCLC:

867603665