Colonial al-Andalus:
Uses of the Past in Spanish Colonial
Morocco, 1859-1956
Thursday, November 3rd, 2016
REC 108 @ 4:00 PM
Dr. Eric Calderwood
Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature, Arabic Studies,
Spanish and Medieval Studies, U. of Illinois, Urbana Champaign
Contemporary Moroccan writers and politicians often cast Moroccan culture as a direct
descendent of the culture of al-Andalus or medieval Muslim Iberia. Signs of Morocco’s Andalusi
heritage abound, from Andalusi music to traditional crafts like ceramic tilework. The most recent
Moroccan constitution, ratified in 2011, illustrates the extent to which al-Andalus has become an
institutionalized element of Moroccan culture and politics. The constitution’s preamble cites the
influence of the “Andalusi tributary” on Morocco’s “national identity” and celebrates “the Moroccan people’s attachment to the values of openness, moderation, tolerance, and dialogue.” The constitution thus aligns Morocco with one of the most potent modern myths associated with alAndalus: the idea that Muslims, Christians, and Jews peacefully coexisted in al-Andalus – an idea
known, in Spanish, as convivencia, or “coexistence”.
Dr. Calderwood’s talk will argue that Morocco’s Andalusi identity is not a product of medieval relations, but rather is a modern invention that emerges from the colonial encounter between
Spain and Morocco in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Starting with the SpanishMoroccan War of 1859-1860, Spanish writers revived the historical memory of al-Andalus in order to emphasize Spain’s historical connection to North Africa and to justify Spain’s colonial
presence in Morocco.
Starting in the 1930s, Moroccan Intellectuals appropriated the
Spanish celebration of al-Andalus and re-purposed it as a tool for
defining the Moroccan nation’s struggle against colonialism.
His talk aims to elucidate the process through which a Spanish
colonial discourse became a central pillar of Moroccan cultural
identity.
Reception and Refreshments 3:00-4:00 PM (REC 108)
This Event is Sponsored by:
A CLA Arabic Speakers INNOVATE 2.0 grant &
The Department of Spanish & Portuguese