Today it seems the lines between Europe and the Middle East, between Christian Europeans and Muslim immigrants in their midst, are hardening. Daily editorials compare the contemporary arrival of Muslim refugees with the idquo;Muslim conquest of 711, dquo; warning that Europe will be called on to defend its southern and eastern borders. Violence and paranoia are alive and well in Fortress Europe.
The Feeling of History examines the idea of andalucismoddash;a modern tradition founded on the principle that contemporary Andalusia is linked in vitally important ways with medieval Islamic Iberia. Charles Hirschkind explores the works and lives of writers, thinkers, poets, artists, and activists and shows how together they have elaborated an Andalusian sensorium. Hirschkind also carefully traces the various itineraries of andalucismo, from both colonial and anti-colonial efforts to contemporary movements supporting immigrant rights. The Feeling of History offers a nuanced view into the way people experience their own past while bearing witness to a philosophy of engaging the Middle East that experiments with alternative futures.
