Tunisia's Andalusians - (Alternative Histories: Narratives from the Middle East and Mediterranean) by Marta Domínguez Díaz (Hardcover)

About the Book

Explores the cultural identity of the Andalusian community in post-revolutionary Tunisia.

Book Synopsis

Tunisia's Andalusians tells the captivating story of those Andalusians, descendants of Muslims expelled from Spain in the seventeenth century, who sought refuge in Tunisia. Rather than simply replicating Iberian traditions, Andalusian culture in Tunisia stands as a vibrant and evolving phenomenon, shaped by complex dynamics of interaction and adaptation over four centuries. The book dismantles the romanticised view of Andalusian culture as a mere transplantation of al-Andalus, analysing distinctive cultural features that distinguish Andalusians as an ethnic group within Tunisia's diverse social fabric.

Drawing on historical records and contemporary ethnographic data, including personal accounts and family archives, the book sheds light on how Andalusians navigate their unique cultural position amidst a Tunisian national narrative often focused on Arabo-Muslim homogeneity. By examining the complexities of cultural preservation and assimilation, the book offers a nuanced perspective on Andalusian identity, revealing its dynamism and resilience in the face of changing social, political, and economic circumstances.

Review Quotes

Combining both history and anthropology to explore issues of ethnicity and group formation, this book substantially enriches our understanding of those who link their identity to the historical experience of al-Andalus. Part of the Moriscos expelled in the 17th century from Spain settled in Tunis and Marta Domínguez Díaz takes us on a fascinating journey across the communities they formed there, how they interacted with the local population, how they changed and how they talked - and talk - about themselves.--Maribel Fierro, Center of Human and Social Sciences

In this book Marta Dominguez consistently reveals the role of the Andalusian communities in Tunisia as well as their transformations and continuities. The concept of identity is discussed in an original study of historical anthropology where material culture, memory and politics construct the very notion of Andalusian between present and past.--Josep Lluís Mateo, Autonomous University in Barcelona

This book fills an important gap in the study of the contemporary reality of the Morisco-Andalusian community in Tunisia. Through a skilful anthropological approach, the author demonstrates that the memory of the expulsion and its aftermath remains deeply resonant among the descendants of those expelled, more than 415 years after their forced displacement.--Houssem Eddine Chachia, University of Tunis