The Over-Exaggeration of the Islamic Transformation of Early Medieval Spain by Historians - Essay Example

The over-exaggeration of the "Islamic transformation" of early medieval Spain by historians Introduction History is barely distinctive from mythology, and this is because historians embody past values to their accounts, whether the historical accounts are critical or not. The values embodied into historical accounts are considered highly significant aspects of the experience of the historical people or group. Further, taking into account that values are socially or culturally conceived, these historians engage in myth-building. Due to the significant role played by historians in historiography, some cases appear unable to separate present from past myths, or to deal perfectly with past historical events that caused anxiety or conflict. From the case of Spain, particularly, with reference to the early medieval times, the conflict between Muslims and Christians led to the conception of a basis for fearing Spanish Christians (Garma 88). The experience of fear was individualised collectively and at the individual level, which continued to define the social gap between different religious groups. These gaps were, later, formalised through the formation of discriminatory laws and the systems used for their enforcement (Garma 88). The insurmountable role played by the historical accounts developed by historians, in the formation of the social climate shows a sense of over-exaggeration of the historical accounts. Taking the role of historical accounts into accounts, this paper will explore the ways in which historians have over-exaggerated the Islamic transformation of Spain during the early medieval era. Discussion The role of the historian in the interpretation of cultural and historical experiences is similar to that played by a psychologist; the psychologist is instrumental in interpreting the psyche and the psychological constructs of an individual. The over-exaggeration of the historians that gave accounts of the early medieval Spain is evident from the accounts given about the conflict between Muslims and Christians, which worked as the foundation for the fears expressed against Spanish Christians. The fears conceived from historical accounts gained more attention, after they were internalised collectively and at the individual level, providing a platform for the social distance that was to be maintained between different religious groups (Garma 88). The fears that were universalised by the exaggerated accounts given by historians have gone as far as being solidified into discriminatory laws, as well as the legal frameworks used for their enforcement. The over-exaggeration of the Islamic transformation is expressed through generalities like religious exclusivity and intolerance, which do not do justice to the social outlook of the problem. For example, many decades after the enemy was overpowered; the Jews were sent away and the inquisition was disbanded; the conception of the “moor” remained the model of the stranger to be feared (Llopis and Ortuño 218). The over-exaggeration of the Islamic transformation by historians is evident from the contrastive bias of median Spanish historians, who viewed the opposite groups as distinctively different from one another in the area of religion and culture, which led to the conception that the gaps between the two were non-bridgeable (Glick 235). The conception of the fully distinctive identities of the two groups could be traced to their settlement in a unified geographical location by the different cultural groups (Glick 237). Based on the lens of distinction, the historical accounts were used to express the nature of the lands held by the Muslims before they had been captured by the Christian group (Leeds 1322). However, the comparative outlook presented some truth about the traditional conception of Christian Spain, which was indicative of preparation for the take-over of the whole peninsula. The historical conception of the events marking the Islamic transformation discredited the role of cultural diffusion, which was a dominant theme in medieval Spain; the cultural diffusion is among the major indicators of the impact of the Islamist bloc upon the Christian group (Glick 240). For example, starting from the middle of the 9th century to the 1300s, cultural diffusion was evidenced by the contact of different socioeconomic systems and cultures. During this particular era, the Islamist bloc remained dominant and highly present in urban areas, until the 11th century, while the Christian group was dominant in agriculture and the rural areas (Leeds 1322). The over-exaggeration of the Islamic transformation among historians is evident from the historical accounts of transport, the diffusion of technology and the movement patterns used in the Islamic empire (Bulliet 229). The historical accounts of the Islamic transformation pay little attention to the fact that the Muslims inherited the empire from the Romans, and also the people living within the empire. The importance of the inherited systems has been limited by the attention channelled towards the cultural changes that accompanied the Islamic transformation. Instead, the historical accounts of historians channelled a lot of attention towards the changes that came with the unification of the region under the Muslims, particularly those meant to diffuse ideas and technologies from the different ends of the territory (Bulliet 230). The over-exaggeration of the Islamic transformation is evidenced by the importance channelled towards the use of camels, donkeys and horses in transport, which was a degeneration of transport and communication, when compared to transport by wheeled vehicles. Prior to the Islamic transformation, the use of wheeled vehicles was a major form of transport, but irrespective of its convenience, animal transport was adopted for long distance travel (Bulliet 110). Historians maintained the insistence that the newer forms of transport were safer, but that was not necessarily the case, when compared to transport by cart, despite the poor road networks of the past era. The contrast between the two modes of transport shows that the Islamic transformation did not come with remarkable change and improvement, like historians made it to appear (Bulliet 110). The over-exaggeration of the Islamic transformation is evident from the emphasis channelled towards the role of the Muslims in the transformation of the civilization and the economics of the Spanish society of early medieval time (Vives 89). The historical accounts put emphasis on the conquest of the Islamic forces, but gives less detail about the vulnerability of the Visigothic state (Thompson 216). The Islam found the Visigothic state an easy and highly vulnerable target, mainly because their society was ethically stratified, the political structure was highly fragmented; the rural economy was unbalanced and depressed, and its town life was rudimentary, when compared to that of others (Vives 92). In addition to the information given about the Islam and their conquest of the Visigothic state, the different historical accounts paid little or no attention to the agrarian economy of the state, except that it was an instrumental party in the events of the Islamic transformation. In explaining the factors underlying the Islamic revolution, the numerous historical accounts do not pay attention to the decay of the commerce and urban life, similar to the way they emphasized the decay of the agrarian economy of the Visigothic state (Thompson 217). Further, little attention was offered to study and to provide accounts of the activity of dominant groups, including the Jews, who were instrumental in the hands of the Jews. For example, the Jews were held accountable for the set-in of the economic recession; further trade disruptions resulted from the institution of anti-Jewish legislation (Olagüe 75). The over-exaggeration of the Islamic transformation is evident from the views of historians, as they assume and write that the effortless conquest was succeeded by the rapid Islamization of the peninsula. However, this view is debatable, as the conversion of the peninsula to Islam took place through the model that was used after the conquest of other societies during the medieval era. Bulliet gives the account that conversion of the peninsula to Islam took place through a logarithmic model, where the adoption of a change or innovation by a few triggered more to follow suit (20). The adoption of the change or the innovation by more people offered the platform for contact between Muslims and non-Muslims leading to the conversion of non-Muslims (Bulliet 19).The transformation of the non-Muslim society took place through a self-generating progression, where the conversion of more people into Islam, without the adoption of political or social policies to fuel the adoption of Islam. This means that the change process did not require the manipulation of the target societies, using any means or factors beyond the self-directive change process (Bulliet 21). The Islamic transformation is exaggerated and over-exaggerated by historians in some areas. These areas include that they, often, do not give the account of the pace of change that took place consecutively with that of the adoption of Islam, leading to the revolutionary change referred as the Islamic transformation (Barbero and Pascual 82). However, it is important to note that, despite the fact that the growth of Christian zones was slower, and in many cases not taking into account, many socioeconomic imperatives; it took place at the same time as the changes leading to the massive adoption of Islam. The change and the growth of the Christian zones changed them from rural, fragmented and disorganized zones, into consolidated and distinctively identifiable political zones (Barbero and Pascual 82). Their economic and social activities were also changed and more sophisticated, to the level of offering them the basis for expansion and the development of the zones into established administrative centres. Conclusion History is similar to mythology, in that the values of the past are embodied into historical accounts, as signifiers of the experiences of the people or the groups. From the case of the Islamic transformation of early medieval Spain, historians have over-exaggerated the account, minimising the role of some events and groups. The over-exaggeration of the Islamic transformation is evident from the fears created about Spanish Christians, which have continued to characterise the Spanish society. Other evidence of over-exaggeration include that there is contrastive bias, where historians views the Islamic and Christian cultures and religions as direct opposites; little attention is offered to cultural diffusion between the two groups and little attention was offered to the role of other groups. Further, there is an assumption that the transformation was rapid and the growth of the Christian group is not considered an influence to the changes, which implies the over-exaggeration of the transformation. Works Cited Barbero, Abilio, and Pascual, Vigil. Sobre los orígenes sociales de la reconquista. Barcelona: Ariel, 1974. Print. Bulliet, Richard. Conversion to Islam in the Medieval Period: An Essay in Quantitative History. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1979. Print. Bulliet, Richard. The Camel and the Wheel. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1975. Print. Garma, Angel. The Psychoanalysis of Dreams. New York: Delta, 1966. Print. Glick, Thomas. Irrigation and Society in Medieval Valencia. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1970. Print. Leeds, Anthony. "Brazilian Careers and Social Structure: An Evolutionary Model and Case History". American Anthropologist, 66 (1964): 1322. Print. Llopis, Lloret, and Ortuño, Escudero. "Eldelirio de infidelidad conyugal multiple". Actas Luso- Españolas de Neurologiay Psiquitríia, 7 (1948): 218. Print. Olagüe, Ignacio. La revolución islámica en occidente. Barcelona: Guadarrama, 1974. Print. Thompson, Edward. The Goths in Spain. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1969. Print. Vives, Jaime. An Economic History of Spain. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1969. Print. Read More