Videos by Alejandro García-Sanjuán
La figura de Santiago posee una gran relevancia histórica en el contexto de la historia española ... more La figura de Santiago posee una gran relevancia histórica en el contexto de la historia española a lo largo de varios siglos. Muy vinculado en su origen al comienzo de la presencia musulmana a partir del siglo VIII, el culto al Apóstol experimenta un proceso de intensa militarización en el marco general del proceso de sacralización de la guerra en el cristianismo, uno de cuyos escenarios históricos privilegiados fue la lucha frente a los musulmanes en la Península. La imagen belígera clásica del 'Santiago Matamoros', sin embargo, corresponde fundamentalmente a la época moderna, durante la cual el mito se adapta al nuevo contexto histórico, al que también pertenece el Santiago 'Mataindios'. Aunque abiertamente cuestionado ya desde el siglo XVIII, la idea del Apóstol guerrero experimentó una nueva recontextualización en el marco del proceso de construcción nacional que se desarrolla durante el siglo XIX y que historiográficamente se vertebra en torno al paradigma de la Reconquista. 114 views
Books (Author) by Alejandro García-Sanjuán
Marcial Pons, 2020
Jihad became a popular concept in non-Muslim societies over the last years, particularly in the w... more Jihad became a popular concept in non-Muslim societies over the last years, particularly in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. At the same time, the scholarly interest in the notion gained traction and the rise of jihadist terrorism boosted a good number of publications, mostly in English. Jihad, however, remains a poorly understood Islamic concept, especially among folk audiences. Furthermore, traditional Spanish scholarship paid hardly any specific attention to this notion. What is really jihad? The Islamic holy war? A religious doctrine promoting terrorism? This book represents the first scholarly monograph in Spanish about this concept and aims primarily at filling a significant knowledge gap. Drawing on the foundational texts of the Islamic Revelation (Qur'an and Prophetic Tradition), the book includes a thorough study of the main set of prescriptions and regulations making up the complex legal framework of jihad as defined by some of the most outstanding and influential ulama across the four orthodox schools between the 9th and the 13th century.
Marcial Pons, 2019
Este estudio ha sido elaborado en el marco del Proyecto de Investigación Génesis y desarrollo de ... more Este estudio ha sido elaborado en el marco del Proyecto de Investigación Génesis y desarrollo de la guerra santa cristiana en la Edad Media del occidente peninsular (ss. x-xiv) [HAR2012-32790], dirigido por el Dr. Carlos de Ayala Martínez.
Peripeciaslibros, Jerez de la Frontera, 2018
Foreword by Carlos de Ayala (U Autónoma de Madrid). This book brings together five articles (in S... more Foreword by Carlos de Ayala (U Autónoma de Madrid). This book brings together five articles (in Spanish) previously published by the author:
1 La traducción de fuentes árabes andalusíes al castellano: balance y valoración (2001)
2 La aportación de Claudio Sánchez-Albornoz a los estudios andalusíes (2005)
3 El hecho tribal y el concepto tributario: tres propuestas de caracterización de la sociedad andalusí (2012)
4 Al-Andalus en la historiografía del nacionalismo españolista. Entre la España musulmana y la Reconquista (siglos XIX-XXI) (2012)
5 La tergiversación del pasado y la función social del conocimiento histórico. Una réplica a Kenneth B. Wolf (2014)
Universidad de Granada, 2015
A lo largo de la Edad Media la península ibérica fue un ámbito caracterizado por una gran diversi... more A lo largo de la Edad Media la península ibérica fue un ámbito caracterizado por una gran diversidad de formas políticas, sociales y culturales. La conquista de 711 dio origen al nacimiento de al-Andalus, un país árabe e islámico, cuya presencia constituye un hecho determinante en la configuración del período medieval. El presente volumen lo integran nueve artículos en los que se analizan ciertos aspectos de esa interacción, haciendo especial hincapié en el tratamiento que se otorgaba a los no musulmanes (cristianos y judíos) en al-Andalus.
Marcial Pons, Oct 16, 2013
The arrival of Islam in 711 represents one of the most influential and controversial episodes in ... more The arrival of Islam in 711 represents one of the most influential and controversial episodes in Iberian history. Spanish scholarship traditionally approached this topic within the Reconquista paradigm and saw it as a 'national catastrophe'. Conversely, the modern Arab tradition remains unflichingly clung to the notion of fatḥ, featuring the expansion of the early Caliphate in terms of an exceptional and unique divinely-ordained achievement of Islamic civilization. According to a third and even more misleading approach, which I brand 'negationist', the origins of al-Andalus would be oblivious of any military operation and the formation of an Islamic society in Iberia would have been a late outcome (9th century) of local Visigothic Arianism. Besides a thorough criticism of the ideological prejudices related to the aforementioned approaches, this book sets out a fresh reading of the historical sources, bringing together, for the first time, the literary (Latin and Arabic) and the archaeological record (coins and lead seals).
Brill, 2007
Pious endowments (waqf, pl. awqāf and ḥubs, pl. aḥbās) are one of the most important institutions... more Pious endowments (waqf, pl. awqāf and ḥubs, pl. aḥbās) are one of the most important institutions in classical Islamic societies, primarily made up of goods from private donations permanently set up for pious purposes and aimed at providing spiritual and social benefits for the Muslim community. This monograph takes up the study of this institution in al-Andalus across the 9th and the 15th centuries. Given the paucity of information in traditional narrative sources, this study draws on legal texts, chiefly fatawà compilations, notarial handbooks, and other doctrinal works from some of the most outstanding Maliki ulama in al-Andalus.
Universidad de Huelva, 2003
Universidad de Huelva, 2002
Universidad de Sevilla, 2002
Books (editor) by Alejandro García-Sanjuán
The 11th century has traditionally been regarded as a turning point in the evolution of medieval ... more The 11th century has traditionally been regarded as a turning point in the evolution of medieval Iberia. The dismantling of the Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba gave way to a process of political and territorial fragmentation that contributed to weakening Islamic power vis-a-vis the incipient Northern Christian kingdoms and ultimately leading up to the establishment of the Almoravid dynasty. The Taifa Kingdoms: Reconsidering 11th-century Iberia gathers contributions from a diverse group of Medieval Historians, Arabists, Art Historians and Archaeologist seeking to explore new approaches to understand one of the most complex and fascinating moments in al-Andalus. From political history, to socio-economic organization, and artistic and scientific activities, the book covers a wide range of topics and issues from fresh perspectives.
What Was the Islamic Conquest of Iberia? Understanding the New Debate brings together leading sch... more What Was the Islamic Conquest of Iberia? Understanding the New Debate brings together leading scholars to offer an introduction to a recent debate with far-reaching implications for the study of history, as well as our understanding of the present.
This volume arose out of a 2016 Seminar held in Casa Árabe (Madrid) and aimed at attempting an ex... more This volume arose out of a 2016 Seminar held in Casa Árabe (Madrid) and aimed at attempting an extremely challenging and unprecedented academic experience, bringing together scholars from utterly opposing tendencies in order to debate some of the most vexed historical topics involving national feelings and identities in Spain and Portugal. A bold experiment that resulted in a set of diverse texts taking up different subjects related to the Iberian medieval past and which remain influential in the current Spanish political conversation.
Universidad de Huelva, 2006
A. García Sanjuán (ed.), Tolerancia y convivencia étnico-religiosa en la Península Ibérica durante la Edad Media
Universidad de Huelva, 2003
Articles by Alejandro García-Sanjuán
Terra, Pedras e Cacos do Garb al-Andalus (Trabalhos de Arqueologia 57). Lisboa: Património Cultural, I. P., 2024, pp. 577-589
Drawing on its etymological relationship with the Algarve, scholarship has largely identified Gh... more Drawing on its etymological relationship with the Algarve, scholarship has largely identified Gharb alAndalus with the Southernmost Portuguese region (Algarve), something which is not only ambiguous but abusive at the same time. A similarly ungrounded connection has been traditionally set between Gharb al-Andalus and Portugal. To a large extent, this approach is the product of a partial and hasty reading of the Arabic sources that has been routinely and uncritically repeated over time. A close reading of the Arabic texts reveals that Gharb al-Andalus and Burtuqāl are different names that cannot be identified. While Gharb remained a largely geographical name with blurred territorial boundaries, ever since the 12th century Burtuqāl gradually gained a much more specific political meaning related to the consolidation of the kingdom of Portugal.
Journal of Medieval Iberian Studies 2024
Population movements are a regular feature in Iberia across the medieval period, especially due t... more Population movements are a regular feature in Iberia across the medieval period, especially due to the conflicts for land control between the northern Christian states and Islamic powers in the south. Movements of Muslim populations caused by the Christian expansion rose sharply from the eleventh century and peaked over the following two centuries. Drawing on the Arabic sources, this article explores how, when, and where the Muslims had to leave their homelands following the arrival of Christian conquerors. While documentary information is scarce and lacking in detail, these sources are key to understanding the real demographic
impact caused by expanding Christian kingdoms into Islamic territory in Iberia across the eleventh through thirteenth centuries.
Imago Temporis. Medium Aevum 18 (2024)
Heavily biased by ideological prejudices, traditional Spanish scholarship claimed the existence o... more Heavily biased by ideological prejudices, traditional Spanish scholarship claimed the existence of sharply divergent approaches between Iberian Christians and Muslims about the perception of the land and the feelings that got them bound to it. Gathered around a shared national project, the Christians would have held highly stable emotional bonds to the land they lived in. Propelled by a strong sense of attachment to their territories, they would have fought tirelessly over eight centuries to recover the lands previously seized by the Muslims. Lacking a similar sense of belonging to the land, the Muslims, bound by agnatic and religious ties, would have considered themselves just temporary dwellers. However, a careful reading of the Arabic sources suggests the existence of parallels regarding the recovery of lost lands. This article seeks to provide compelling textual evidence about the idea of land recovery among the Muslims across the 11th and the 12th century.
Historiografías 25 (2023)
Within the framework of the liberal state-building process, nineteenth-century Spanish scholarshi... more Within the framework of the liberal state-building process, nineteenth-century Spanish scholarship developed a historical narrative deeply reliant on the idea of Catholicism as the backbone of Spanish national identity. The eight-century-long Islamic presence, however, seriously challenged the National Catholic narrative, which peaked during the Francoist dictatorship (1936-1975). Counter-intuitively, the most vocal representative of this narrative was C. Sánchez-Albornoz, a committed Republican and convinced anti-Francoist but, at the same time, a devout Catholic believer. Although the end of the dictatorship marked the beginning of a sweeping scholarly renewal, the Catholic narrative, however, has remained influential over the last 45 years, not only thanks to the work done by Catholic historians but also because of the pervasive and abiding influence of Catholic prejudices and stereotypes among non-religious academic sectors.
RiMe. Rivista dell'Istituto di Storia dell'Europa Mediterranea 2022
The academic study of the Middle Ages started out over the nineteenth century, in a historical co... more The academic study of the Middle Ages started out over the nineteenth century, in a historical context shaped by the rise of the liberal revolutions and nationalism, as well as the globalization of capitalism as a result of the industrial revolution and colonialism. This context helps understand the strong essentialist bias of the narratives about the medieval period, as clearly revealed by the Spanish case. The new wave of capitalist globalization after 1989 brought about a new rise of essentialist narratives that came hand in hand with the consolidation of increasingly multicultural and multiethnic environment in the most advances societies. This contradiction stands as a stark challenge for medieval studies in the years to come.
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Videos by Alejandro García-Sanjuán
Books (Author) by Alejandro García-Sanjuán
1 La traducción de fuentes árabes andalusíes al castellano: balance y valoración (2001)
2 La aportación de Claudio Sánchez-Albornoz a los estudios andalusíes (2005)
3 El hecho tribal y el concepto tributario: tres propuestas de caracterización de la sociedad andalusí (2012)
4 Al-Andalus en la historiografía del nacionalismo españolista. Entre la España musulmana y la Reconquista (siglos XIX-XXI) (2012)
5 La tergiversación del pasado y la función social del conocimiento histórico. Una réplica a Kenneth B. Wolf (2014)
Books (editor) by Alejandro García-Sanjuán
Articles by Alejandro García-Sanjuán
impact caused by expanding Christian kingdoms into Islamic territory in Iberia across the eleventh through thirteenth centuries.