29 de September de 2022

OAR

Islam. Start of activities with the ‘History and Heritage’ round table and debate on 13 October at 5.30 pm.

[REGISTRATIONS CLOSED DUE TO FULL SEATING CAPACITY] ‘Barxiluna: a (forgotten) Muslim past and present’ is an initiative consisting of activities that highlight Barcelona’s Muslim legacy and how it has influenced the city. The first event within this initiative, organised by OAR and the Espai Avinyó–Language and Culture, will be the round table and debate entitled ‘History and Heritage’ on Thursday 13 October at 5.30 pm. This activity is included in the programming for the +Biennial 2022 (Biennial of Thought).

The city of Barcelona has a significant historical link with Islam. First of all, it was part of al-Andalus from 718 to 801. At that time, the city was known as برشلونة (Barshilūna or Barshaluna). We are talking about almost a century of history. Subsequently, some Muslims remained in the city (often referred to as mudéjares). During the Middle Ages and the start of the early modern period, there seems to be evidence of the enslavement of Muslim people.

Though there are few material traces of it, it is clear that this presence had an influence on the city and constitutes part of our historical heritage. The most notable examples among the archaeological remains connected to the practice of Islam are burial sites: more specifically, a set of eleventh-century burial sites discovered in 1991, which were presented at the El Born Centre for Culture and Memory (CCM) on 14 December.

Later on, the colonial period was another key period in the city’s interaction with the Muslim world. Finally, arriving at the present day, current Muslim communities resulting from recent migrations and local conversions have been part of the city for many decades now.

Barcelona has made an effort to recover and reclaim the history of groups who had been pushed to its margins. An important role in this process has been carried out by Barcelona History Museum (MUHBA), which has recovered the city’s medieval Jewish legacy and emphasised this community’s ‘Barcelonianness’ through the MUHBA El Call centre, guided tours, exhibitions such as the one dedicated to the Barcelona Haggadah (2015), and involvement with the Red de Juderías (Network of Jewish Quarters of Spain), which presents this heritage as a tourist attraction. El Born CMM has also made a major contribution, with events like the Dissent from History Conference. Nonetheless, the memory of the Muslim past that has shaped the city’s history has not been examined closely or disseminated widely.

The intention behind and the aim of this initiative is to highlight the imprint left by this legacy. A round table and debate entitled ‘History and Heritage’ (13 October) will mark the launch of the initiative, which will generate more activities on this theme, focusing on various areas: museums, the presence of this heritage in the public space, the way this aspect of the city’s history is approached in educational environments, etc. The goal is to reflect critically on engagement with or the omission of this historical heritage from a historiographical, museological, and archaeological standpoint, with a intercultural or decolonial perspective. The link between current Muslim residents of Barcelona and the past, in terms of the city’s heritage and cultural institutions that have or have not dealt with this subject, will also be discussed.

ROUND TABLE AND DEBATE ‘HISTORY AND HERITAGE’

This activity will look at the way the city’s Muslim history and heritage has been approached. In other words, it will offer a debate regarding how the heritage connected to Barcelona’s Muslim past has been showcased and shared. Heritage discourse is inextricably linked with identity and belonging. With what is considered one’s own and with the genealogy we embrace. What does the lack of attention paid to the memory of Barcelona’s Muslim past say about how Barcelona City Council and its cultural institutions perceive and represent the city’s history and identity?

The round table will consist of three experts who have looked at the subject in their respective fields, as well as a VIP row of people linked to the city’s Muslim communities, museology, and heritage management. The participants will help us to reflect on the place Muslim history has occupied in heritage discourses and in historiography in the Spanish state, in Catalonia, and especially, in the city of Barcelona.

PARTICIPANTS

• Abdennur Prado. Essayist, poet, and film-maker. Activist for Muslims’ civil rights in Spain and collaborator with the UN Rapporteur for countering Islamophobia. Director of the International Congress on Islamic Feminism (2005–2010). Author of nine books, including El lenguaje político del Corán (Popular, 2009), Genealogía del monoteísmo (Akal, 2018), and El rostro materno de Al-lâh (Cántico, 2021). Another of his most important publications is El retorn de l’islam a Catalunya (Llibres de l’Índex, 2008), in which he analyses the relationships between history, religious rights, and ‘Catalanness’ in twenty-first-century Catalonia.
• Bilal Sarr. PhD in Medieval History from the University of Granada and lecturer in the Medieval History Department of the same university. Author and co-author of various publications, notably the book Arabización, Islamización y Resistencias en al-Andalus y el Magreb (University of Granada, 2020). Director of projects linked to archaeology and the legacy of Islam, such as the Maqbara project on burial spaces in the southeast of al-Andalus. Translator from French into Spanish.
• Camila Opazo-Sepúlveda. Holder of a bachelor’s degree in Archaeology and a master’s degree in Heritage Management and Museology. Doctoral student in Society and Culture at the University of Barcelona. Member of the Public Archaeology and Heritage Group at UB and the Barcelona Latin American Studies Collective (CELAB). She is also a member of ICOM Spain (International Council of Museums) and the Association of Critical Heritage Studies. Her studies are characterised by the incorporation of feminist, antiracist, and intercultural perspectives into the study and management of cultural heritage.

The round table will be moderated by:

• Fátima Charkaoui. Holder of a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management and a master’s degree in Teaching (Rovira i Virgili University). Teacher on vocational courses and project coordinator at the Sobre los Márgenes Association. As a result of her love for books and organisation of book clubs, she co-wrote the book of poems and reflections Almas inefables (independent publication, 2021) with Jamal El Anbi.

REGISTRATION AND INFORMATION

Free activity with limited capacity. Prior registration is required HERE. FULL CAPACITY: if you wish, you can join the waiting list by sending an email to activitatisoar@bcn.cat.

For those who cannot attend, a VIDEO of the activity will be recorded on the OAR website and there will also be a PODCAST of the activity on the Espai Avinyó website.

• DATE: Thursday 13 October 2022.
• TIME: 5.30 pm.
• VENUE: Lluís Companys Room. Horta-Guinardó District Hall (Casa de la Altures). Ronda del Guinardó, 49.
• If you require any special accessibility measures, please send an email to activitatsoar@bcn.cat or call 682 481 915 (from 9 am to 2 pm) before 9 October.

Take a look at the whole programme (Catalan) HERE or in the attached file!

UPCOMING EVENTS

(Im)possible Museums: From historical narratives to the museographical story 

Wednesday 30 November, 10 am–1 pm at the Museum of the History of Catalonia. Organised by: Espai Avinyó – Language and Culture and the Office of Religious Affairs

The Museum of the History of Catalonia opened its doors in February 1996. Unlike other museum institutions, it was not born from the need to exhibit an already existing collection. Instead, it was created to lead the way in the dissemination of Catalonia’s collective heritage and history.

As part of the activities organised for ‘Barxiluna: a (forgotten) Muslim past and present’, and given the nature, aims, and museography of this museum’s collection, we have created a work and reflection space for analysing the following questions together: How has Muslim history and heritage been disseminated up to now in Catalonia? How has the construction of the Muslim Other shaped the story told by the museum and its collection? In what ways could the museum’s historical and museographical story be redesigned to generate new ways of connecting with Muslim communities and the educational fabric around it?

The (Im)possible Museums series aims to create various spaces for intercultural education and reflection among artists, professionals, and technicians linked to artistic creation and the cultural management of the city. The aim is to rethink and broaden perspectives relating to the Western imaginaries of cultural diversity that are present in the exhibitions offered in the city’s halls, cultural centres, local facilities, and museums.

Featuring

• Mostafà Shaimi. Associate Lecturer in the Education Department at the University of Girona (UdG). He is writing a PhD thesis on racism and religious diversity and is a specialist in community revitalisation. He currently coordinates the master’s course in Religious Diversity: Thought, Reality and Management (University of Girona), and has previously worked in the social sphere for public authorities and social entities, such as the Fundació IRes (Institute for Social Rehabilitation), GRAMCE (Cultural Minorities Research Group), and Càritas. The projects on which he has collaborated include the Social Inclusion and Citizenship Forum and the Fundació Jaume Bofill’s Ordit programme. He is also a member of the Salt-Girona Antiracist Space and a regular columnist for the newspaper Ara.

LIMITED PLACES. Prior booking is required. Please send an email to espaiavinyo@bcn.cat explaining your link to this subject or to cultural management. More information HERE.

See you there!

#OarBCN and #EspaiAvinyó