The 2nd session of the 2025 Medieval Studies Seminar will feature a presentation by Jesús Lorenzo-Jiménez (University of the Basque Country) titled “Ethnicities and Identities in Al-Andalus: The Muladis” It will take place on May 20th, at 4:00 PM, in online mode (via Zoom).
In 711, with the Islamic conquest, Berbers and Arabs entered the Iberian Peninsula and superimposed themselves onto a population—which we will refer to as Hispano-Roman/Visigothic—that was overwhelmingly in the majority. However, over the generations, a process of transferring the original population into the Arab ethnic group took place. This process was not linear but was relentless, to the point that by the end of the 10th century—whether through walāˀ (clientage), absorption, or the mere invention of genealogies—the number of Muwallads (i.e., descendants of Hispano-Romans) became negligible, while the majority of the population had been transferred into Arab lineages. This process, the factors that made it possible, as well as potential resistances, will be discussed throughout the presentation.
