What do people really mean when they talk about Al-Andalus? Was medieval Iberia a model of coexistence, a lost paradise, or something far more complex?

In this episode, Cristina Moreno-Almeida speaks with historian Eduardo Manzano Moreno about the historical realities of Al-Andalus and the many ways it has been remembered, romanticised, and politically mobilised over time. Together they explore coexistence and conflict in medieval Iberia, the limits of the idea of 'convivencia', and why simplified versions of the past continue to resonate today.

In this episode

0:00 Introduction

0:47 Trailer

1:46 The legacy of Al-Andalus

12:27 The myth and reality of convivencia

24:42 Romanticisation & its political pitfalls

36:28 What we can learn from Al-Andalus today

40:28 Lightning Round

About the Guest

Eduardo Manzano Moreno is a Research Professor at the Centro de Ciencias Humanas y Sociales of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), where he served as director from 2006 to 2012. He specialises in Al-Andalus and medieval Spanish history. He holds a Ph.D. in Medieval History from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and a Master of Arts in Near Eastern Studies from the University of London (SOAS). His international academic presence includes roles as a visiting scholar at St. John's College, University of Oxford, and as a guest professor at the University of Chicago. Among his notable publications are Conquistadores, emires y califas. Los Omeyas y la formación de al-Andalus (2006), and La corte del califa. Cuatro años en la Córdoba de los califas omeyas (2019), both published by Editorial Crítica. Beyond medieval Islamic history, Manzano has explored the political uses of historical narratives. His co-authored book La gestión de la memoria. La historia de España al servicio del poder (2000) critically examines how history is employed to shape national identity. He also contributed to the multi-volume Historia de España project, publishing Épocas medievales in 2010. In 2024, he released España diversa. Claves de una historia plural, offering insights into Spain’s multifaceted historical identity. His work continues to influence both scholarly discourse and public understanding of Spain’s complex past.

Learn more:

https://cchs.csic.es/en/personal/eduardo-manzano-moreno

About the Project

'Digital Al Andalus: Radical Perspectives Of and Through Al Andalus (2023-2038)' is an ERC selected, UKRI funded project (https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP/X042251/1) exploring the uses, abuses, and afterlives of medieval history in contemporary culture and politics.The series brings together historians, media scholars, and cultural critics to examine how the past is remembered, mythologized, and mobilised today, from medieval Iberia to digital culture and online misinformation.

Learn more: https://digitalalandalus.qmul.ac.uk/

Credits

Producer, editing and sound: The Lens Box (email: studio@thelensbox.com Instagram @thelensbox)

Artwork:Kate NunnFelip Docolomansky

Follow the Podcast

YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@DigitalAl-Andalus

Instagram:@digitalalandalus

Website:https://digitalalandalus.qmul.ac.uk/

Support the Project

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