The Myth of the Andalusian Paradise: Muslims, Christians, and Jews under Islamic Rule in Medieval Spain (PDF) (Print)

A finalist for World MagazineÕs Book of the Year!

Scholars, journalists, and even politicians uphold Muslim-ruled medieval SpainÑÒal-AndalusÓÑas a multicultural paradise, a place where Muslims, Christians, and Jews lived in harmony.

There is only one problem with this widely accepted account: it is a myth.

In this groundbreaking book, Northwestern University scholar Dar’o Fern‡ndez-Morera tells the full story of Islamic Spain. The Myth of the Andalusian Paradise shines light on hidden history by drawing on an abundance of primary sources that scholars have ignored, as well as archaeological evidence only recently unearthed.

This supposed beacon of peaceful coexistence began, of course, with the Islamic CaliphateÕs conquest of Spain. Far from a land of religious tolerance, Islamic Spain was marked by religious and therefore cultural repression in all areas of life and the marginalization of Christians and other groupsÑall this in the service of social control by autocratic rulers and a class of religious authorities.

The Myth of the Andalusian Paradise provides a desperately needed reassessment of medieval Spain. As professors, politicians, and pundits continue to celebrate Islamic Spain for its ÒmulticulturalismÓ and Òdiversity,Ó Fern‡ndez-Morera sets the historical record straightÑshowing that a politically useful myth is a myth nonetheless.