Books and publications
Index / Activities / Books and publications / The Islamic Conquest of the Iberian Peninsula and Misrepresentation of the Past
The Islamic Conquest of the Iberian Peninsula and Misrepresentation of the Past
From October 28, 2013 until November 04, 2013
We are presenting this book by Alejandro García Sanjuán on Monday, November 4th, at 7:00 p.m., at our headquarters in Madrid. Speaking at the event will be Maribel Fierro, a researching professor at the CSIC; Carlos de Ayala Martínez, a tenured professor at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid; Carlos Pascual del Pino, president of Marcial Pons Historia, and Eduardo López Busquets, the General Director of Casa Árabe.
The Islamic conquest of 711 constitutes one of the most important and, at the same time, controversial and misrepresented episodes in the history of Spain. Spanish Nationalistic Catholicism created a denigrating view of the period based on a catastrophic interpretation (the “loss of Spain”), while, on the contrary, Arab tradition has promoted a mythical paradigm based on the idea of the civilizing mission of Islam. The manipulation of this relevant historical event reaches its maximum levels amongst the revisionists of denial, who attempt to separate the origin of Al-Andalus from the conquest, attempting to commit a vulgar historical fraud using manipulation, in some cases, and bias, in others, in terms of the historical testimony. In addition to providing a critical refutation of all these distorting interpretations, this work provides an all-encompassing overview of the conquest in 711, connecting this event with the problem of the origins of Islam and the status of the Visigoth kingdom of Toledo, through a new examination of the historical sources in which, for the first time ever, both the information originating from the literary record (Latin and Arabic) and archeological record (coins and lead seals) are taken into consideration.
Free entry until the event’s capacity is reached.
A doctor of Medieval History and professor at the University of Huelva, as a medievalist specializing in the history of Al-Andalus, Mr. García Sanjuán has dedicated several publications to the problem of the Iberian Peninsula’s Islamic conquest. He is also the author of works which include Hasta que Dios herede la Tierra. Los bienes habices en al-Andalus (siglos X-XV) (Until God Inherits the Earth: The Endowed Assets of Al-Andalus [10th-15th centuries], Huelva, 2002); La Huelva islámica, una ciudad del Occidente de al-Andalus (siglos VIII-XIII) (Islamic Huelva, a Western City in Al-Andalus [8th-13th centuries], Seville, 2002); Evolución histórica y poblamiento del territorio onubense durante el período andalusí (siglos VIII al XIII) (Historical Change and Population of Huelva’s Territory During the Al-Andalus Period [8th-13th centuries], Huelva, 2003) and Till God Inherits the Earth. Islamic Pious Endowments in Al-Andalus (9th-15th centuries) (Leiden, 2007). He was also the editor of Tolerancia y convivencia étnico-religiosa en la península Ibérica durante la Edad Media (Ethnic-Religious Tolerance and Co-existence on the Iberian Peninsula in the Middle Ages, Huelva 2003) and Saber y sociedad en al-Andalus (Knowledge and Society in Al-Andalus, Huelva, 2006).
Free entry until the event’s capacity is reached.
Alejandro García Sanjuán
A doctor of Medieval History and professor at the University of Huelva, as a medievalist specializing in the history of Al-Andalus, Mr. García Sanjuán has dedicated several publications to the problem of the Iberian Peninsula’s Islamic conquest. He is also the author of works which include Hasta que Dios herede la Tierra. Los bienes habices en al-Andalus (siglos X-XV) (Until God Inherits the Earth: The Endowed Assets of Al-Andalus [10th-15th centuries], Huelva, 2002); La Huelva islámica, una ciudad del Occidente de al-Andalus (siglos VIII-XIII) (Islamic Huelva, a Western City in Al-Andalus [8th-13th centuries], Seville, 2002); Evolución histórica y poblamiento del territorio onubense durante el período andalusí (siglos VIII al XIII) (Historical Change and Population of Huelva’s Territory During the Al-Andalus Period [8th-13th centuries], Huelva, 2003) and Till God Inherits the Earth. Islamic Pious Endowments in Al-Andalus (9th-15th centuries) (Leiden, 2007). He was also the editor of Tolerancia y convivencia étnico-religiosa en la península Ibérica durante la Edad Media (Ethnic-Religious Tolerance and Co-existence on the Iberian Peninsula in the Middle Ages, Huelva 2003) and Saber y sociedad en al-Andalus (Knowledge and Society in Al-Andalus, Huelva, 2006).
