For yet another year, Casa Árabe is collaborating to help hold an event dedicated to the work of the late Professor Federico Corriente, one of Spain’s most important Arabists. This year’s main session is titled “Federico Corriente and Catalonia,” and during the event Prof. Dolors Bramón, a philologist, historian and one of the leading experts on Islam, will be introducing Professor Corriente’s work on Arabisms in the Catalan language and other words and expressions of Semitic and Middle Eastern origin. “

After outlining how I came to know Dr. Federico Corriente when I arrived at the University of Zaragoza (1984) as an interim tenured professor, I will be narrating my earliest experiences with him and with his manuals and methods for the teaching of Arabic. I compare them with what was done at the School of Philology at the University of Barcelona, where, in the 1960’s and 1970’s, there was a degree in “Semitic Philology” which also included Hebrew and Aramaic studies. The differences were many, and the University of Zaragoza was like a paradise. I provide a listing of F. Corriente’s relations with colleagues at the University of Barcelona, the thesis tribunals, the short courses or conferences to which he was invited and, last but not least, just how much he helped so many scholars, including Catalonia medievalists, Hebraists or Arabists. Looking back, the overview is quite positive for Corriente: Barcelona simply was not ready for a scholar of his stature.” 

The memorial will be taking place at the School of Philosophy and Letters at the University of Zaragoza, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. It will be attended by the School’s Dean, Elena Barlés, with the participation of Ángeles Vicente, Alberto Montaner Frutos, Laila M. Jreis Navarro, Hossain Bouzineb, Francisco Rubio, Ahmed-Salem Ould Mohamed Baba, María José Cervera Fras and Dolors Bramó.