Beyond Iberia

This paper proposes a new way of looking at medieval Iberia, considering it not as a delimited place confined by rigid borders, but as a series of variable associations between kingdoms, merchants, or families. Edging closer to Iberia in this way requires extending Iberia’s edge and connecting it to Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East all at the same time.  Characterizing medieval Iberia as a series of associations between Cordova, Qayrawân, and Baghdad, for instance, means examining it not as isolated and unhinged, but as part of a world system. This approach changes the terms that guide our scholarship, since medieval Europe loses its conceptual homogeneity and hegemony. Simple divisions between people, languages, discourses, and places become untenable. Situating medieval Iberia in a world system shifts our gaze and expands Iberia’s scope.

In keeping with the focus of this panel on “Pan-Iberian” research, this paper will explore the ramifications of considering Iberia as part of a world system.  More specifically, it will speculate on the benefits and pitfalls of applying two kinds of theory to medieval Iberia: network theory as devised by Manuel Castells, and World-Systems Analysis, originally created by Immanuel Wallerstein in the 1970s and recently employed by scholars in non-modern areas.  I will refer to the medieval Muslim trade system and the routes along the Camino de Santiago to suggest the implications for applying these theoretical frameworks to research on medieval Iberia.