Contacts, Encounters & Exchanges: Iberian Identities & (In)visible Legacy of a Medieval Frontier

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

As one of Europe's main frontiers, Medieval Iberia was a space characterized by constant contacts, encounters, and exchanges between ‘East' and ‘West', and between different political, national, cultural, linguistic, and religious identities. Long after the Spanish Reconquista was officially completed in 1492, and the actual frontier had disappeared, however, the notion of inhabiting a liminal space that emerged from the reality, as well as the idea, of being Europe's frontier continued to shape not only the Iberian imagination, but also the way in which different Iberian communities constructed and codified their collective identities. This course is devoted to exploring the legacy, both visible and invisible, of the Iberian past and how the notion of being a ‘frontier' has shaped, and continues to shape not only Spain's identity as a nation, but also other Iberian and Mediterranean national identities. Class materials will focus on Medieval, Modern, and Contemporary Iberian literatures and cultures, but will also include readings and/or films that explore the notion of ‘frontier' as a theoretical framework by comparing Iberia with other ‘frontiers', both Medieval and Contemporary. Taught in Spanish.