Mathe im Beruf Detailseite

Speaker:
Professor Brian Catlos (Colorado Boulder)

Were the mudéjares (free Muslim subjects) of the medieval Crown of Aragon an exploited
and vulnerable subaltern or a confidently integrated minority community? In this seminar
we will do a close reading of two processos (administrative/judicial inquiries) from the first
decade of the 1300s, which demonstrate the wide-ranging experience of Muslim subjects.
In one, a town’s magistrate and council is investigated for allegedly executing by hanging
an itinerant Muslim potter accused of theft and attempted murder. In the other, a Muslim
community violently resists the Crown’s efforts to impose an irregular tax on them. In
both cases the Muslim communities in question were apparently socially integrated with
the Christian majority. What they reveal is that the lived experience of subject Muslims was
deeply informed by local conditions – and that when factors mitigated towards conveniencia
(“Convenience”), these communities enjoyed considerable security, whereas when these
conditions were not present, they were vulnerable to extrajudicial violence.
The readings will be distributed a week or so before the seminar. Please sign up for
attending the seminar at email.