CONVERSAS · Conversas of Muslim and Jewish Origin in the Premodern Crown of Aragon: Parallels and Contrasts

The project CONVERSAS explores the cultural identities of Muslim and Jewish crypto-religious minorities within coerced mono-confessional pre-modern Crown of Aragon (c. 1400-1500). It will challenge traditional interpretations - based on male centred historical documents and largely ignored within gender blind research - by creating a novel concept of comparison, especially between socio-religious characteristics of these groups female members converted to Christianity: Moriscas (Christian women of Muslim origin) and Judeo-Conversas (Christian women of Jewish origin) suspected of secret adherence to the religion of their ancestors. The project aims to develop an adaptable multi-dimensional comparative and intersectional model to provide cultural, historical and gender analysis of these religious groups. As a sample of multi-dimensional methodology applied to the underutilized archival data - most notably inquisitorial trial dossiers, Jewish and Muslim religious and legal texts, royal documents, local legislations, notarial, and cadastral documents - the applicant will write a research monograph, accompanied by a database of selected manuscripts integrated into the Hosts servers, and (co-)organize a workshop. The research will be conducted in a trans-disciplinary research group at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) in Barcelona (Spain) under the supervision of Professor Linda Gale Jones, an international authority of comparative Muslim and Christian gender studies. The applicant will bring philological, historical, and anthropological skills that will facilitate research in the group and the transfer of ideas. Since democratic managing of increasing cultural diversity represents one of the crucial challenges that Europe is facing today the knowledge acquired from Islamic and Judaic intangible cultural heritage will prevent ethnic disintegration and promote understanding and reconciliation toward creating a plural, tolerant and broadminded cohesive society.