In this Book
University of Minnesota Press
- Covert Gestures: Crypto-Islamic Literature as Cultural Practice in Early Modern Spain
- Book
- 2005
- Published by: University of Minnesota Press
summary
Forcibly expelled from Spain in the early seventeenth century, the substantial Muslim community known as the moriscos left behind them a hidden yet extremely rich corpus of manuscripts. Copied out in Arabic script and concealed in walls, false floors, and remote caves, these little-known texts now offer modern readers an absorbing look into the cultural life of the moriscos during the hundred years between their forced conversion to Christianity and their eventual expulsion. Covert Gestures reveals how the traditional Islamic narratives of the moriscos both shaped and encoded a wide range of covert social activity characterized by a profound and persistent concern with time and temporality. Using a unique blend of literary analysis, linguistic anthropology, and phenomenological philosophy, Barletta explores the narratives as testimonials of past human experiences and discovers in them evidence of community resistance. In its interdisciplinary approach, Vincent Barletta's work is nothing less than a rewriting of the cultural history of Muslim Spain, as well as a replotting of the future course of medieval and early modern literary studies.
Table of Contents
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- Introduction: The Fabric of Time
- pp. ix-xxxvi
- 4. The Prophet Is Born, Muslims Are Made
- pp. 79-103
- 6. Language Ideologies and Poetic Form
- pp. 133-155
- Conclusions
- pp. 156-160
- Acknowledgments
- pp. 161-162
- Bibliography
- pp. 178-196
Additional Information
ISBN
9780816696727
Related ISBN(s)
9780816644766
MARC Record
OCLC
191936302
Pages
240
Launched on MUSE
2015-01-01
Language
English
Open Access
No