‎Feature: Who Were the Moors?

Library > Community Presentations

Presenter: Mahdi Blaine

Delivered: DC on September 17, 2017

When people think of Al-Andalus, or Muslim Spain, they often envision a Golden Age of art and thought attributed to the Moors. However, the term "Moor" actually refers to several different groups. This afikra feature explores the origins of the term and its historical usage in Europe.

Sources & Future References

• Al-Andalus in Andalusia: Negotiating Moorish History and Regional Identity in Southern Spain on JSTOR

• Imaging the Moor in Medieval Portugal on JSTOR

• Some Characterizations of the Moor in Alfonso X's "Cántigas" on JSTOR

• The Africanity of Spain: Identity and Problematization on JSTOR

• "Mulattos," "Blacks," and "Indian Moors": Othello and Early Modern Constructions of Human Difference on JSTOR

• Making more of the Moor: Aaron, Othello, and Renaissance Refashionings of Race on JSTOR

• Respectability and Representation: The Moorish Science Temple, Morocco, and Black Public Culture in 1920s Chicago on JSTOR

Note: All community presentations are prepared & presented by non-experts on the subject. They are sharing information in the hopes of spurring interest in that subject.

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About Afikra Community Presentations

Delivered and prepared by afikra Community members, the presentation’s goal is to showcase the presenter’s curiosity and research, and share some knowledge on a ‎topic related to the Arab world’s histories and cultures. The presentation is the ‎culmination of the afikra coaching process to help identify a topic, find research, and develop the ‎presentation. afikra presentations come in two forms, a long question-driven afikra Feature, and a short afikra FWD with the purpose of sharing something interesting.