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Ibn Firnas: Science as a way of life
May 06, 20257:00 p.m.
CóRDOBA
Casa Árabe Auditorium (at Calle Samuel de los Santos Gener, 9).
7:00 p.m.
Free entry until the event’s capacity is reached.
In Spanish.
Long before Leonardo da Vinci became an iconic Renaissance scholar, the ninth century in Al-Andalus saw the birth of another multifaceted scholar, a forerunner of the European Renaissance. On Tuesday, May 6, we will be learning more about the story of Ibn Firnas as part of our event series “Semblances of Cordoba: The Umayyad era in the first person.”
Ibn Firnas was an emblematic figure from the ninth century in Al-Andalus. Though he was born in Ronda, Ibn Firnas was a prominent member from time of Cordoba’s Umayyad emirs, living at the center of power and culture during the era in which he lived. He lived during a period of great scientific, cultural and artistic splendor, becoming a multifaceted scholar and herald of the European Renaissance. Before Leonardo da Vinci became an iconic Renaissance scholar, Ibn Firnas had already left his mark on the cultivation of literature and science. His work ranged from poetry to astronomy, demonstrating a versatility and depth of knowledge that positioned him as a Renaissance man before the Renaissance even occurred. One of the most fascinating aspects of Ibn Firnas as a personage was his attempt to fly. Using wings that he built himself, he carried out some of the earliest known test flights. Though they were not completely successful, they demonstrate what an innovative and daring spirit he had. In addition to creating his reputation as a pioneer, these efforts made him a sort of literary character, when this feat was reported on and became known as a folk legend. Although he remains largely unknown in Europe, he is an emblematic figure in other places, where his memory lives on in a way that is as diverse as he himself was.
Mònica Rius-Piniés is the director of the ADHUC-Theory, Gender, Sexuality Research Center and of the UNESCO Chair “Women, Development and Cultures” at the University of Barcelona, where she is professor with the Arab and Islamic Studies Department. She coordinates the consolidated research group “Women’s Creation and Thought” (2021 SGR 01097). She has been president of the Societat Catalana d’Història de la Ciència (SCHCT-IEC), secretary of the Sociedad Española de Estudios Árabes (SEEA), coordinator of the Master’s degree in Construction and Representation of Cultural Identities and director of the Master’s degree in the Arab and Islamic World. Her multidisciplinary research focuses on gender and cultural studies, and their intersection with the social history of science and medicine. Her many contributions deal with the history of science in Al-Andalus, contemporary Arabic literature and Orientalism.
Mònica Rius-Piniés is the director of the ADHUC-Theory, Gender, Sexuality Research Center and of the UNESCO Chair “Women, Development and Cultures” at the University of Barcelona, where she is professor with the Arab and Islamic Studies Department. She coordinates the consolidated research group “Women’s Creation and Thought” (2021 SGR 01097). She has been president of the Societat Catalana d’Història de la Ciència (SCHCT-IEC), secretary of the Sociedad Española de Estudios Árabes (SEEA), coordinator of the Master’s degree in Construction and Representation of Cultural Identities and director of the Master’s degree in the Arab and Islamic World. Her multidisciplinary research focuses on gender and cultural studies, and their intersection with the social history of science and medicine. Her many contributions deal with the history of science in Al-Andalus, contemporary Arabic literature and Orientalism.
