Power and Rural Communities in Al-Andalus (Hardcover)

Adela Fabregas

ISBN 10: 2503553427 / ISBN 13: 9782503553429

Published by Brepols N.V., Turnhout, 2016

About this Item

Hardcover. This volume explores new definitions of state power in Al-Andalus throughout the Middle Ages by examining the interactions of the Andalusian state with its Islamic society, looking at specific moments in Andalusian history in a variety of local, geographical contexts. The essays collected here adopt largely archaeological methodologies, considering in turn the various spaces reclaimed by the state and its material remains, as well as the footprints of state impact on other local and territorial organizational structures. In addition, these means of analysis directly highlight those spaces that remained outside of state control, while also supporting consideration of how and why they managed to do so. The essays use the territorial dimension of the kinship-state dichotomy as a starting point for considering its means of operation and evolution over time. Beginning with the traditional assumption that territorial configuration patterns are heavily determined by the relative weight of the different authorities operating in a given territory, the essays identify the different agents operating in Al-Andalus (mainly the state and gentry-based peasant communities) through insightful archaeological and historical considerations of medieval Andalusian society's material remains. With special attention also paid to the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada--the Andalusian territory lasting longest under Muslim rule--this collection makes an important contribution to larger historiographical debates surrounding the medieval Islamic world. This book explores the imposition and maintenance of political power in al-Andalus and the relationship between local communities and central powers. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9782503553429

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Power and Rural Communities in Al-Andalus (Hardcover)
• Publisher: Brepols N.V., Turnhout
• Publication Date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 2503553427
• ISBN 13: 9782503553429
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

This volume explores how State power can be defined in Al-Andalus and examines the features of its interaction with Islamic society. Andalusi society is viewed as a changing reality, where the tensions between the various social agents were very strong. The main components - the State and gentry-based peasant communities - experienced a deep transformation in their definition and their relationships, and the process by which these communities fell under the control of the State seems to be a one-way phenomenon. But the detection, examination, and interpretation of this process is still overdue.



With the task of approaching the general transformation of Islamic society from this perspective, this collection focuses on the territorial dimension of the kinship-State dichotomy - if not fully to comprehend the process of assimilation of kinship groups into the State - at least to detect its operation and to track its evolution. By adopting the traditional assumption that territorial configuration patterns are heavily determined by the relative weight of the different authorities operating in a given territory, the papers identify the various agents operating in al-Andalus through their material remains. Especially important is a focus on the territory that lasted longer under Muslim rule: the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada, in which an advanced process of State control can be observed.