Power in the portrayal: representations of jews and muslims in eleventh- and twelfth-century islamic Spain
- Type Others
- Publisher PRINCETON
- ISBN13 9780691001876
- ISBN10 0691001871
- Pages 194
- Published 2002
- Language English
Power in the portrayal: representations of jews and muslims in eleventh- and twelfth-century islamic Spain
The examined Arabic texts reveal a fragmented perception of the Jew in eleventh-century al-Andalus. They depict seemingly contradictory figures at whose poles are an intelligent, skilled, and noble Jew deserving of homage and a vile, stupid, and fiendish enemy of God and Islam. For their part, the Hebrew and Judeo-Arabic texts display a deep-seated reluctance to portray Muslims in any light at all. Brann cogently demonstrates that these representations of Jews and Muslims--each of which is concerned with issues of sovereignty and the exercise of power--reflect the shifting, fluctuating, and ambivalent relations between elite members of two of the ethno-religious communities of al-Andalus.
Brann's accessible prose is enriched by his splendid translations; the original texts are also included. This book is the first to study the construction of social meaning in Andalusi Arabic, Judeo-Arabic, and Hebrew literary texts and historical chronicles. The novel approach illuminates nuances of respect, disinterest, contempt, and hatred reflected in the relationship between Muslims and Jews in medieval Spain.
- Type Others
- Publisher PRINCETON
- ISBN13 9780691001876
- ISBN10 0691001871
- Pages 194
- Published 2002
- Language English