A Historian at the Cinema: When The Moors Ruled Europe

For most of us, world history classes are really just a bad code word for European history. Most people are aware of the basic of European history (Roman Empire, then Dark Ages, then Renaissance, the fast forward to World Wars and that's the gist of it). A part of European history that is often overlooked due to an agenda or pure ignorance is the period of 700 years in which the Moors, North African Muslims, controlled and ruled Spain and Portugal between 711 to 1492 CE. What resulted from this conquest of the Iberian peninsula was a thriving, modern, and sophisticated society during a time when the rest of Europe was living through the Dark Ages.

The documentary film, When the Moors Ruled Europe, produced by the British Acorn Media company and presented by historian Bettany Hughes, guides viewers through this history that although forgotten by many but that is still visually and physically present throughout the Spanish and Portuguese countryside. Sites such as Andalucia, Granada, and Cordoba contain the physically remains of this high period in European history. Hughes takes the audience through a history that began in conquest and the creation of the kingdom of Al-Andalus (modern day Spain, Portugal, and southern France). Tariq ibn Ziyad lead the Moorish army against the Visigoths, who would eventually surrender. However, life under the new Moorish empire in southern Europe was complex. Moorish rulers allowed Christians to be governed by Visigoth law and the many willing Muslim converts, who converted despite little immigration from north Africa, to live under Moorish law. In addition, Arabic became the language of the land. These two factors help explains the large influence Islam had on Iberian (and as a result South American) culture and customs and the large amount of Arabic origins in the Spanish language. These long lasting influences of the Moors demonstrate how deep an impact the 700 years of Moorish rule had upon the people of southern Europe. More interestingly, the documentary is quick to point out that Moorish Europe experienced a Renaissance many hundreds of years before the rest of Europe. During this period, the Moors developed renowned learning centers and libraries, advanced medicine that would not be seen in Europe until the discovery of germs, and practical technology such as sewer and water systems. However, the Moorish Empire of Al-Andalus would eventually come to an end during the Reconquista which would end with Ferdinand and Isabella as king and queen of the newly re-Christian Spain in 1492. With Christian rulers in control of the region, Spain would quickly move to forget and cover up their Moorish history. This effort to forget the Muslim empire in Europe would prove successful up until current day when the majority of text books gloss over or omit any references to Moorish Europe. This documentary aims to bring back this history to the general population and to the popular record.

Alhambra: masterpiece of Moorish art and
architecture located in Granada, Spain. 

The high light of this film, aside from the clearly explained and rich history narrative, is that it draws upon the architectural heritage of Moorish Spain. Hughes explores and narrates this complex history while strolling through the regal and geometrically designed palaces such as Alhambra. Audiences are presented with the beautifully preserved remains of Moorish Spain as they learn about the civilization that built them. Instead of the typical Ken Burns style of slowing panning past antique photos of people and places, the producers of this documentary chose to film on site of each of the Moorish palaces or cities and used reconstructions or images during certain moments. This decision enriches the experience because it reveals to audiences the physical impact of this civilization. More importantly, the documentary does excellent work at explaining a complex 700 year history in only two hours. It serves as a primer, a well detailed one, for those interested in learning about this missing chapter in European and Arab history.

I found this documentary through a recommendation from my Arabic professor. My background as South American made this documentary all the more interesting. Learning about how Latin American traditions came from Arab and Muslim culture was enlightening and something that is rarely talked about. It revealed an aspect of the history of the Spanish language that I had never heard before and helped answer many of the questions I had about our deep seeded traditions. For this reason, I most definitely recommend this documentary to people of South and Central American decent. It provides an understanding of another layer in our extremely multicultural history. For others, it will also provide an enlightening re-examination of that European history you learned in high school social science class. The beauty of history is that it is constantly in a process of discovery and rediscovery, and it is this process that makes us richer as a society and as people.

Phi Alpha Theta Southern California Regional Conference

This last weekend was the Southern California Regional Phi Alpha Theta Conference.  Now I know what you are thinking: that sounds so amazing... I get to hear history students read their different papers.  I know but please hold your excitement back.

A little history on what Phi Alpha Theta is. It is a National History Honors society open to undergraduates and graduate students and even professors of History.  This doesn't mean that an amateur historian without a degree or one that hasn't taken university classes can join.  It is one of the few clubs reserved exclusively for history students.  

Phi Alpha Theta was established on March 17, 1921 at the University of Arkansas by Professor Nels Cleven.  Cleven believed that while at university a collection of scholars, including both men and women, was vital to the study of historical scholarship.  He invited  students to this group starting at the University Historical Society.  This group was officially recognized and the group was granted "fraternity" status and was given the greek letters of Phi Alpha Theta ΦΑΘ.

From the PAT website on the founding:

Nels Andrew N. Cleven established the National Honor Society in History, Phi Alpha Theta, at the University of Arkansas on March 17, 1921.  Nels Andrew Nelson Cleven was born on December 21, 1874 in Lake Mills, Iowa. He began his teaching career in public schools in 1894 before receiving two bachelor’s degrees (PhB and EdB) from the University of Chicago in 1906. Nels Andrew Nelson Cleven earned his PhD from the University of Munich in 1913, and taught at San Diego High School and Junior College until 1918. From 1918 to 1919 he worked as a research assistant for the War Trade Board’s Bureau of Research and Statistics in Washington, D.C.

In September 1919, Dr. Cleven moved to Fayetteville after accepting an assistant professorship from Dr. David Yancey Thomas, Head of the Department of History and Political Science at the University of Arkansas. Dr. Cleven and his wife Hilma soon found Fayetteville and this unique region of the Ozarks to their liking. They frequently chaperoned the social activities of campus fraternities and sororities, organizations for which Dr. Cleven previously had little regard. These gatherings would inspire what he termed “the Phi Alpha Theta idea.”

The possibility of “diffusing information through socialized avenues,” he wrote later, “was due to the kindly cooperation of my students in Arkansas.” He came to regard fraternities as “an essential spirit of the age…searchers all for Truth in History.” Such societies were crucial because “the human side of scholarship needs to be nurtured and thought made articulate.” Despite the national proliferation of social and professional fraternities during this period, he discovered there were no societies in History, a deficiency he was determined to remedy. In his mind, he envisioned a secret fraternity; open to women as well as men, which would embrace the “entire History of Mankind.” By chance, a painting depicting ancient Assyria and featuring a six-pointed Star of Divinity hung on the wall of his classroom. The star became the central symbol for the History fraternity.
On March 14, 1921, Dr. Cleven presided over a meeting in his classroom with a group of History students. Those present voted to create the University Historical Society. Officers were elected and Constitutional, Program and Membership committees were appointed. Even though Dr. Cleven regarded this meeting as the anniversary date for the founding of Phi Alpha Theta, it was not until a month later that the name Phi Alpha Theta was formally adopted.

The mission of Phi Alpha Theta is "a professional society whose mission is to promote the study of history through the encouragement of research, good teaching, publication and the exchange of learning and ideas among historians. We seek to bring students and teachers together for intellectual and social exchanges, which promote and assist historical research and publication by our members in a variety of ways."

Along with myself and Doris, two other graduate students presented along with four undergraduates from our university.  All of our topics were quite diverse from the "Arabs that attended the Chicago's World's Fair of 1893" to the "Practical Temperance Man" and a "History of the Hard Drive 1975-1995".  

History conferences come in all shapes and sizes.  This was hosted at Point Loma Nazarene in San Diego.  I don't know that I could handle the view... I would never get any work done.  Each panel was chaired by professors from different Southern California Schools over seeing four panelists across multiple topics.

Doris and Amanda 

Doris, Zane, Nichol, and Amanda