On March 26, 2025, Profs. Nasser Rabbat and Margery Resnick will hold an event at the International Institute in Madrid, Spain to bring together experts across the field of Islamic Iberia and to set the stage for further global activities in this sphere.
This meeting of experts in the fields of architecture, music, art history, literature, archeology, history and urban studies will not only highlight aspects of Islamic Iberian culture, but will situate these studies in today’s world. The crucial shaping role of Islamic Iberia in Europe and the Middle East and how that role is studied in today’s context will form the nexus of this encounter.
The range of speakers, (see below) the variety of expertise they represent, and their geographic diversity will draw students in the field from across the Iberian peninsula. It is our hope that a new generation of Islamic Iberian scholars will meet each other in this encounter.
This event marks the start of our mission of bringing the legacies of Islamic Iberia, in all their creative forms, into educational curricula and cultural institutions—schools, universities, museums, exhibits, concert halls. The range of experts at our March 26th event will emphasize the breadth of this legacy.
We aim to establish a framework for collaboration between MIT and US scholars, Spanish scholars, Middle Eastern scholars and Latin American scholars on the legacies of al-Andalus, by creating a network of interested individuals. The Madrid event marks the beginning of this endavor.
Presenters at the March 26th encounter in addition to Profs. Rabbat and Resnick:
- Susana Calvo Capilla
Department of Art History
Faculty of Geography and History
Complutense University of Madrid
- Hames Bitar
Professional oud player; expert on al-Andalus music
- Pedro Buendía
Department of Linguistics and Oriental Studies
Area of Arabic and Islamic Studies
Faculty of Philology
Complutense University of Madrid
- Maria Jesus Viguera Molins
Professor of Arabic Studies
Complutense University of Madrid
Academy of History
- Julio Navarro
School of Arabic Studies (CSIC)
Specialist in Islamic Archaeology, particularly in Murcia
School of Arabic Studies, CSIC, Granada
- Dr. Antonio Orihuela
Research Professor
School of Arabic Studies (CSIC)
Laboratory of Archaeology and Architecture of the City (LAAC)
- Luis J. García Pulido
Senior Scientist
School of Arabic Studies (EEA), CSIC
Laboratory of Archaeology and Architecture of the City (LAAC)