Thomas Glick presents a comparative history of the Islamic and Christian areas of Spain in the period between A.D. 711 and 1250 when these areas emerged as distinct political, social, and cultural entities. The author accounts for the social, political, and ethnic structures that developed between the frontiers of Muslim and Christian territories and explores the cross-cultural relationships and the transmission of ideas and techniques, mainly from the Islamic culture to the Christian culture in Spain. Glick argues that science and technology are key indicators of cultural influence. The author has revised this text considerably since the first edition appeared in 1979 to reflect the fruits of the increased exploration of Spanish medieval history spurred by the âhistoriographical revolutionâ in Spain over the last two decades.
Thomas F. Glick, Ph. D. (1968) in history, Harvard University, is a professor of history at Boston University. His has written on topics such as medieval science and technology, and on comparative history, including From Muslim Fortress to Christian Castle (Manchester, 1995).
Figures, Tables and Maps
Introduction
Part One Society and Economy
1. At the Crossroads of Civilization
2. Agriculture, Settlement and the Moving Frontier
3. Urbanization and Commerce
4. Social Structure
5. Ethnic Relations
6. Structure and Stability
Part Two Movement of Ideas and Techniques
7. Technology
8. Science
9. Cultural Process in Medieval Spain
Bibliography
Index
Anyone interested in the history of Spain, medieval history, Islamic history, history of science and technology, comparative history, or anthropology.