Al-Andalus exists in history, geography and the Western cultural imaginary. Professor Eric Calderwood talks to us about Al-Andalus, examining it as both a place and an idea which is productive in memory, culture and politics. He explains how this cultural imaginary has transcended its geographic bounds and has created fruitful debates around the identity not only of this place, but of Spain and Morocco as modern nations.
We reflect on why it's difficult to put an exact date on when al-Andalus actually "ended", the brotherhood it has created between Spain and Morocco and the importance of these interconnected histories.
Finally, Eric shares how music and dance led him to study al-Andalus and why he chose to explore this topic from five different perspectives including from Pan-Arab, Feminist and Palestinian viewpoints.
Eric Calderwood is Associate Professor of Comparative and World Literature at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the author of the award-winning Colonial al-Andalus: Spain and the Making of Modern Moroccan Culture. He is a contributor to NPR, the BBC, and Foreign Policy. His most recent publication is On Earth or in Poems: The Many Lives of Al Andalus.
Theme music: Peninsular, Tarek Yamani
Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna
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