1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910453755003321

Autore

Perry Mary Elizabeth <1937->

Titolo

The handless maiden : Moriscos and the politics of religion in early modern Spain / / Mary Elizabeth Perry

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Princeton, New Jersey : , : Princeton University Press, , [2005]

©2005

ISBN

0-691-11358-0

1-4008-4932-2

Edizione

[Course Book]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (225 p.)

Collana

Jews, Christians, and Muslims from the Ancient to the Modern World ; ; 52

Jews, Christians, and Muslims from the ancient to the modern world

Disciplina

946/.04/088297

Soggetti

Moriscos - Spain - History

Muslim women - Spain - History

Electronic books.

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (pages [181]-195) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Introduction : from the shadows -- Memories, myths, and the handless maiden -- Madalena's bath -- Dangerous domesticity -- With stones and roasting spits -- Patience and perseverence -- The castigation of Carcayona -- Warehouse children, mixed legacies, and contested identities.

Sommario/riassunto

In 1502, a decade of increasing tension between Muslims and Christians in Spain culminated in a royal decree that Muslims in Castile wanting to remain had to convert to Christianity. Mary Elizabeth Perry uses this event as the starting point for a remarkable exploration of how Moriscos, converted Muslims and their descendants, responded to their increasing disempowerment in sixteenth- and early-seventeenth-century Spain. Stepping beyond traditional histories that have emphasized armed conflict from the view of victors, The Handless Maiden focuses on Morisco women. Perry argues that these women's lives offer vital new insights on the experiences of Moriscos in general, and on how the politics of religion both empowers and oppresses. Drawing on archival documents, legends, and literature, Perry shows



that the Moriscas carried out active resistance to cultural oppression through everyday rituals and acts. For example, they taught their children Arabic language and Islamic prayers, dietary practices, and the observation of Islamic holy days. Thus the home, not the battlefield, became the major forum for Morisco-Christian interaction. Moriscas' experiences further reveal how the Morisco presence provided a vital counter-identity for a centralizing state in early modern Spain. For readers of the twenty-first century, The Handless Maiden raises urgent questions of how we choose to use difference and historical memory.