- Departamento de Estudios Semíticos
Facultad de Filosofía y Letras
Campus Universitario de Cartuja
Universidad de Granada
18071 Granada (España)
Elena Arigita Maza
University of Granada, Estudios Arabes Contemporaneos, Faculty Member
- Islamic Studies, Islamic movements (Anthropology Of Religion), Religion, Contemporary Movements and Trends in Islam, Islamism, Muslims in Europe, and 6 moreJamaat Al-Adl Wal-Ihsan, Al-Andalus, Arabic Literature, Moroccan Literature, Postcolonial Studies, and Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt after the Egyptian revolution 2011edit
This chapter is set against the backdrop of the numerous debates and controversies that have arisen in connection with the new visibility of Islam foIlowing September 2001 and the growing fear not only of terrorist acts, but especially of... more
This chapter is set against the backdrop of the numerous debates and controversies that have arisen in connection with the new visibility of Islam foIlowing September 2001 and the growing fear not only of terrorist acts, but especially of the social tensions inherent in a geostrategic view based on the Islam vs. the West paradigm for European and western societies in general. Over the course of the last decade, arguments about the compatibility or-in most cases-incompatibility betwoon Islam and so-called 'European values' have stimulated public debate, which in tum has led 10 a series of very different initiatives: educational and cultural prograrnmes, citizenship initiatives, intellectual debates, awards, recognitions and so forth. AH ofthese are diverse in terms ofboth goals and target audiences. However, what they have in cornmon is that they are explicitly aimed at transcending historical narratives about Europe that exclude Islam or consider it foreign to the essence of Europe as a civilisation, a culture and an identity. Moreover, these initiatives try to find references or legitimacy in the history of Europe for current challenges related to an urban landscape that is visibly more multicultural, and where monolithic discourse about the Muslim 'other' is being transformed into multiple discourses with new nuances and greater complexity. Beyond strictly academic debates about deconstructing the idea ofEurope and its narrative, these types of local, national and European initiatives, inc1uding cultural programmes, national debates and initiatives for dialogue, as wel1 as cornmemorative events and new reamngs and disputes about places of memory and commemorative dates, are creating new narratives about Europe with regard to Islam that have the specific aim of providing a response capable of changíng the dominant narrative according to which Islam is essentiaHy absent from Europe and inserting it into European history.
This article explores the resonances of the Morisco past in present-day Spain and the connection between the commemoration of the 1609 expulsion and Spanish-Moroccan relations today. It looks at the different forms of remembering the 400... more
This article explores the resonances of the Morisco past in present-day Spain and the connection between the commemoration of the 1609 expulsion and Spanish-Moroccan relations today. It looks at the different forms of remembering the 400 years since the Decree of Expulsion was issued, its critics, and how these public memory projects intersect with colonial narratives, before investigating how the conflicting pasts converge and are reinterpreted in current discussions about the place of Islam in Europe. By examining the claims about history and memory made by different actors reacting to the commemoration of Spain's expulsion of the Moriscos, the article shows how the Muslim subject is acknowledged as part of the country's historical past, yet is hardly accepted as part of Spanish society today.
Se ofrece una aproximación a la construcción de una narrativa sobre el islam y Europa que trata de incorporar la historia al-Andalus como parte integrante de la historia de Europa, en oposición a la narrativa que construye al-Andalus como... more
Se ofrece una aproximación a la construcción de una narrativa sobre el islam y Europa que trata de incorporar la historia al-Andalus como parte integrante de la historia de Europa, en oposición a la narrativa que construye al-Andalus como invasión y paréntesis en la historia. El objetivo es observar cómo se movilizó el capital simbólico de Córdoba en torno al proyecto de la capitalidad europea de la cultura invocando la ejemplaridad y centralidad de Córdoba como puente para incorporar el pasado andalusí en la historia de Europa. Para esa indagación se utiliza como referencia los estudios sobre políticas de la memoria
en Europa. El objetivo es mostrar las correlaciones asimétricas de poder en la construcción de una memoria pública acerca del pasado andalusí y su proyección hacia el presente (y el futuro) en contraposición con la memoria colectiva. Se observa para ello la intersección entre el plano transnacional de la creación del paradigma de al-Andalus, la dimensión político-institucional local de la ciudad de Córdoba en su proyecto “Córdoba 2016” y las polémicas y los silencios en torno al rezo compartido en la Mezquita-Catedral.
en Europa. El objetivo es mostrar las correlaciones asimétricas de poder en la construcción de una memoria pública acerca del pasado andalusí y su proyección hacia el presente (y el futuro) en contraposición con la memoria colectiva. Se observa para ello la intersección entre el plano transnacional de la creación del paradigma de al-Andalus, la dimensión político-institucional local de la ciudad de Córdoba en su proyecto “Córdoba 2016” y las polémicas y los silencios en torno al rezo compartido en la Mezquita-Catedral.
The author examines recent developments in Muslim associations of Spain established by Moroccan immigrants linked to the Islamic movement al-‘Adl wa-l-Ihsan (Justice and Spirituality). By analyzing the discourse of an emerging leadership... more
The author examines recent developments in Muslim associations of Spain established by Moroccan immigrants linked to the Islamic movement al-‘Adl wa-l-Ihsan (Justice and Spirituality). By analyzing the discourse of an emerging leadership of this movement, she seeks to understand how the political commitment and spiritual bond of these activists with the Moroccan Guide both incorporate and rework elements from the dominant discourse on the necessary adaptation of Islam to Spain. Based on in-depth interviews with these leaders, she explores how the Movement’s commitment to Morocco as well as the ummah (Universal Community of Believers) interact with the way these Muslims
perceive and position themselves in the national context of Spain.
perceive and position themselves in the national context of Spain.
Since the mid 1980s, an increasing interest of different actors on the construction of a «European Islam» is taking place. This implies aspects as diverse as identity, worship, education, etc. On the one hand, these debates are mostly... more
Since the mid 1980s, an increasing interest of different actors on the construction of a «European Islam» is taking place. This implies aspects as diverse as identity, worship, education, etc. On the one hand, these debates are mostly confined to the national contexts, where specific readings of the concepts of identity and citizenship shape the terms of the debates. On the other hand, since the 1990s, the Western European countries have witnessed a rapid institutionalization of Islam promoted by the States. This article seeks to transcend the national limits with the aim of exploring the presence of a transnational Islam labeled as reformist-Islamist in the European public sphere(s). It will focus on its qualitative shift from a first stage of formation of networks in Europe, to the establishment of institutions and a shar‘i normative frame for Muslims of Europe.
Research Interests:
Al-Azhar University projects an image of a thousand year old institution that has symbolized the authority and reference point for Sunni Islam and has been involved in struggles for national independence. A jealous guardian of the Arabic... more
Al-Azhar University projects an image of a thousand year old institution that has symbolized the authority and reference point for Sunni Islam and has been involved in struggles for national independence. A jealous guardian of the Arabic language and its culture, al-Azhar has the pretension of exerting its influence throughout the entire Islamic world. Nevertheless, the idealized image that it projects is quite far from the complex reality al-Azhar actually faces, and the post 11 September 2001 period has made evident the challenges this institution is confronting.
Changes of religious authority in contemporary Egypt are analysed through the opinions of key players in public debates about this issue. Information and communication technologies are considered a key factor in the transmission of... more
Changes of religious authority in contemporary Egypt are analysed through the opinions of key players in public debates about this issue. Information and communication
technologies are considered a key factor in the transmission of knowledge about religious authority in the Islamic world; they make access to information easier for a broader audience, and this in turn prompts developments in the public debate."
technologies are considered a key factor in the transmission of knowledge about religious authority in the Islamic world; they make access to information easier for a broader audience, and this in turn prompts developments in the public debate."
This article traces the history of al-Azhar in the XIXth century, from the French Expedition of Bonaparte in 1798 to the first few decades of the XXth century. This constitutes a period wich is key to the understanding of the adaptation... more
This article traces the history of al-Azhar in the XIXth century, from the French Expedition of Bonaparte in 1798 to the first few decades of the XXth century. This constitutes a period wich is key to the understanding of the adaptation of the traditional mosqueuniversity to a new ideological and social context wich led to the creation of the modern Egyptian state. The article deals with the reforms that were made with regards to four major aspects. Firstly, the azhari involvement in the political movements of the period. Secondly, the reform of the property laws. Thirdly, the introduction of western secular legislation, and finally, the reforms wich affected the field of education, where al-Azhar had traditionaly held the monopoly.
(Dis)continuidades árabes es una reflexión sobre los procesos sociales, políticos y culturales en los que se hallan inmersos algunos países árabes desde comienzos de la presente década superando la inmediatez y los postulados... more
(Dis)continuidades árabes es una reflexión sobre los procesos sociales, políticos y culturales en los que se hallan inmersos algunos países árabes desde comienzos de la presente década superando la inmediatez y los postulados esencialistas. La premisa con la que han trabajado sus autores ha sido la de aproximarse a dichos procesos abarcando una mayor amplitud ideológica e histórica, pues las dinámicas que transforman el mundo árabe no son nuevas, se presentan a modo de constantes, de ciclos, de continuidades y discontinuidades, de rupturas, de fracturas, de reconstrucciones... El objetivo es la reflexión más allá de la urgencia informativa: desde distintas líneas de especialización, proponemos observar el marco ideológico, intelectual, jurídico y cultural, así como las consecuentes relaciones entre éste y el ámbito de la sociedad, la política y la historia, especialmente en Marruecos y Egipto. Para ello, proponemos el análisis del discurso y los textos como método de reflexión privilegiado. La generación de imaginarios en un momento histórico crítico y el análisis de los mecanismos de producción y reproducción de discursos son la clave para entender el desarrollo de las dinámicas contemporáneas en el mundo árabe de manera integradora, al incidir en la importancia del elemento humano como fundamento de las sociedades en cambio. El libro aborda debates cruciales que tienen lugar en los países árabes en los últimos años en torno a la identidad cultural, la condición poscolonial-neocolonial, la democracia, el islam o el acceso pleno al futuro, desde la vinculación ideológica y conceptual al tur?t (legado) y a los procesos históricos.
Research Interests:
5th World Congress for Middle Eastern Studies (WOCMES), Sevilla/Spain, 16-20 July 2018
Research Interests: Hebrew Literature, Jewish Studies, Middle East Studies, Middle East & North Africa, North Africa Studies, and 10 moreArabic Language and Linguistics, Mediterranean Studies, Turkish and Middle East Studies, Islamic Studies, Modern Middle East History, Middle Eastern Studies, International Relations of Middle East, Mediterranean and North Africa, Middle East, and Jewish-Christian-Muslim relations in the Middle Ages
Over the course of the past two decades of constructing a unified Europe, one of the ongoing debates has concerned the definition of an inclusive European identity. With various and contradictory results, cultural heritage and religious... more
Over the course of the past two decades of constructing a unified Europe, one of the ongoing debates has concerned the definition of an inclusive European identity. With various and contradictory results, cultural heritage and religious heritage have been examined as the root of what defines the idea of Europe. After the launch of the European Convention in December 2001, these contradictions were debated as the idea of a European constitution began to take shape. There were several stumbling blocks in the ultimately failed project of the European constitution that resulted in the 2007 Treaty of Lisbon. One of the challenges was whether the preamble should include a definition of European identity as Christian or based on Christian roots. Considerations of both the past and the future divided the positions taken by various countries on the matter, with some in favour of rendering a tribute to Christi-anity and others reluctant to include any mention of religion in favour of secularism. Where are we nearly 20 years later?
Research Interests:
This chapter is set against the backdrop of the numerous debates and controversies that have arisen in connection with the new visibility of Islam foIlowing September 2001 and the growing fear not only of terrorist acts, but especially of... more
This chapter is set against the backdrop of the numerous debates and controversies that have arisen in connection with the new visibility of Islam foIlowing September 2001 and the growing fear not only of terrorist acts, but especially of the social tensions inherent in a geostrategic view based on the Islam vs. the West paradigm for European and western societies in general. Over the course of the last decade, arguments about the compatibility or-in most cases-incompatibility betwoon Islam and so-called 'European values' have stimulated public debate, which in tum has led 10 a series of very different initiatives: educational and cultural prograrnmes, citizenship initiatives, intellectual debates, awards, recognitions and so forth. AH ofthese are diverse in terms ofboth goals and target audiences. However, what they have in cornmon is that they are explicitly aimed at transcending historical narratives about Europe that exclude Islam or consider it foreign to the essence of Europe as a civilisation, a culture and an identity. Moreover, these initiatives try to find references or legitimacy in the history of Europe for current challenges related to an urban landscape that is visibly more multicultural, and where monolithic discourse about the Muslim 'other' is being transformed into multiple discourses with new nuances and greater complexity. Beyond strictly academic debates about deconstructing the idea ofEurope and its narrative, these types of local, national and European initiatives, inc1uding cultural programmes, national debates and initiatives for dialogue, as wel1 as cornmemorative events and new reamngs and disputes about places of memory and commemorative dates, are creating new narratives about Europe with regard to Islam that have the specific aim of providing a response capable of changíng the dominant narrative according to which Islam is essentiaHy absent from Europe and inserting it into European history.
Research Interests:
En el proyecto de I+D+i “Islam 2.0: marcadores culturales y marcadores religiosos de sociedades mediterráneas en transformación” (ALAM2.0, FFI2014-54667-R) hemos trabajado en la elaboración de una red de mapas conceptuales que refleje las... more
En el proyecto de I+D+i “Islam 2.0: marcadores culturales y marcadores religiosos de sociedades mediterráneas en transformación” (ALAM2.0, FFI2014-54667-R) hemos trabajado en la elaboración de una red de mapas conceptuales que refleje las continuidades y las rupturas de los valores islámicos que condicionan las dinámicas de transformación social hoy en marcha en el espacio mediterráneo.
La hipótesis del proyecto es que la relación entre islam y cultura, característica del final del siglo XX, se está redefiniendo en el discurso y la práctica de las sociedades y minorías musulmanas confrontadas con el mundo 2.0. Para corroborarlo y mostrar las continuidades, rupturas y reelaboraciones de conceptos culturales y religiosos islámicos, hemos recurrido a la elaboración de una serie de mapas conceptuales, herramienta gráfica facilitadora del aprendizaje significativo desarrollada por Joseph Novak desde los años 70. En las dos últimas décadas, esta herramienta ha podido extenderse y popularizarse gracias a las TIC. Nosotros hemos optado por el software de libre acceso CmapTools (http://cmap.ihmc.us), que permite construir, navegar, compartir y discutir los modelos de conocimiento representados como mapas conceptuales, y en cuya base hemos alojado nuestros mapas: IHCM Public Cmaps–Alam2.0.
Nuestros mapas parten de 4 mapas-campos semánticos: autoridad, género, lengua y comunidad, desplegados en 37 mapas-conceptos asignados a uno o varios de estos campos y, a su vez, relacionados entre sí. Abordamos los conceptos desde una perspectiva interdisciplinar y diacrónica, de modo que el islam de las sociedades peninsulares se entiende tanto en su dialéctica histórica y presente con las sociedades norteafricanas como con la propia historia de España.
Nuestro objetivo es contribuir al conocimiento de los procesos de configuración de las identidades que marcan la historia del Mediterráneo occidental y transferirlo a través de herramientas digitales abiertas a toda la sociedad. Presentamos ejemplos de los mapas elaborados y resultados de aprendizaje obtenidos.
La hipótesis del proyecto es que la relación entre islam y cultura, característica del final del siglo XX, se está redefiniendo en el discurso y la práctica de las sociedades y minorías musulmanas confrontadas con el mundo 2.0. Para corroborarlo y mostrar las continuidades, rupturas y reelaboraciones de conceptos culturales y religiosos islámicos, hemos recurrido a la elaboración de una serie de mapas conceptuales, herramienta gráfica facilitadora del aprendizaje significativo desarrollada por Joseph Novak desde los años 70. En las dos últimas décadas, esta herramienta ha podido extenderse y popularizarse gracias a las TIC. Nosotros hemos optado por el software de libre acceso CmapTools (http://cmap.ihmc.us), que permite construir, navegar, compartir y discutir los modelos de conocimiento representados como mapas conceptuales, y en cuya base hemos alojado nuestros mapas: IHCM Public Cmaps–Alam2.0.
Nuestros mapas parten de 4 mapas-campos semánticos: autoridad, género, lengua y comunidad, desplegados en 37 mapas-conceptos asignados a uno o varios de estos campos y, a su vez, relacionados entre sí. Abordamos los conceptos desde una perspectiva interdisciplinar y diacrónica, de modo que el islam de las sociedades peninsulares se entiende tanto en su dialéctica histórica y presente con las sociedades norteafricanas como con la propia historia de España.
Nuestro objetivo es contribuir al conocimiento de los procesos de configuración de las identidades que marcan la historia del Mediterráneo occidental y transferirlo a través de herramientas digitales abiertas a toda la sociedad. Presentamos ejemplos de los mapas elaborados y resultados de aprendizaje obtenidos.
Research Interests:
En el proyecto de I+D+i “Islam 2.0: marcadores culturales y marcadores religiosos de sociedades mediterráneas en transformación” (ALAM2.0, FFI2014-54667-R) hemos trabajado en la elaboración de una red de mapas conceptuales que refleje las... more
En el proyecto de I+D+i “Islam 2.0: marcadores culturales y marcadores religiosos de sociedades mediterráneas en transformación” (ALAM2.0, FFI2014-54667-R) hemos trabajado en la elaboración de una red de mapas conceptuales que refleje las continuidades y las rupturas de los valores islámicos que condicionan las dinámicas de transformación social hoy en marcha en el espacio mediterráneo.