Francisco J. Cintrón Mattei, PhD Candidate, Medieval Institute, University of Notre Dame
This video introduces students to Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn ‘Abdūn's (active between the late eleventh century and early twelfth century) risāla, which is a guide for medieval market inspectors. By providing students with a "slice of life" primary source, they can better understand the complex, nuanced ways that Muslims, Jews, and Christians interacted in al-Andalus.
Video
Primary Source Reading
Both of the following are in English and can be used to support this presentation. Neither are availible copyright free.
Lewis, Bernard (trans.). “Market Regulations in Muslim Seville: Ibn ‘Abdūn, Ḥisba Manual.” In Medieval Iberia: Readings from Christian, Muslim, and Jewish Sources, edited by Olivia Remie Constable, 227-231. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1997.
Appendix to Alejandro García-Sanjuán. “Jews and Christians in Almoravid Seville as Portrayed by the Islamic Jurist Ibn ʿAbdūn.” Medieval Encounters 14 (2008): 78-98 [at 97-98].
Further Reading
García-Sanjuán, Alejandro. “Daily Life and Popular Culture.” In The Routledge Handbook of Muslim Iberia, ed. Maribel Fierro, 513-31. Oxford: Routledge, 2020.
García-Sanjuán, Alejandro. “Jews and Christians in Almoravid Seville as Portrayed by the Islamic Jurist Ibn ʿAbdūn.” Medieval Encounters 14 (2008): 78-98.
Guichard, Pierre. “Traders and Peasants.” In The Routledge Handbook of Muslim Iberia, ed. Maribel Fierro, 249-70. Oxford: Routledge, 2020.
Discussion Questions
- What kind of market do you imagine when you read this text? What would you be able to buy and/or sell
- Which regulations are explicitly about religion? Which seem to be about religion but don’t directly reference it?
- Are any of them good examples of ‘convivencia’? What assumptions do these regulations make about people? What is the basis for these assumptions?
Cite
Cintrón Mattei, Francisco J. “'Convivencia' in the Marketplace: The Daily Life of Muslims, Christians, & Jews in Muslim Spain,” Middle Ages for Educators, October 9, 2024. Accessed [date]. https://middleagesforeducators.princeton.edu/convivencia-marketplace-daily-life-muslims-christians-jews-muslim-spain