Aljamiado Literature: The Problem of Definition

Abstract

The scope of the term “aljamiado literature” is still open to discussion because it is defined differently by scholars in Russia and beyond. In the ‘strict’ literal meaning, the term “aljamiado literature” covers the literature in Spanish written in Arabic script. Its texts were mostly created by the Moriscos (or crypto-Muslims for Spanish people) after the Reconquista and before their expulsion (1609–1614), i. e. mainly during the 16th century.In a broader sense, “aljamiado literature” is defined as the literature of Spanish Muslims in general, and in this case it is meant to include both Arabic and Latin scripts. And it refers therefore not only to the literature of the Moriscos before their expulsion, but also relates to that written after their expulsion in Latin script, as well as to the texts produced, also in Latin script, by the Spanish Muslims before the Reconquista known in literary culture as Mudéjars. This broader definition covers the period from the mid-15th century until late 17th century.Sure, using the term “aljamiado literature” to denote the texts of both the Mudéjars and the Moriscos, i. e. all the texts of Spanish Muslims that had to live outside Al-Andalus, is absolutely correct, but at the same time this raises doubts about whether we may employ the terms “aljamiado literature” or “aljamiado literature of the Moriscos” for describing all the phenomena mentioned above. In this article, taking into account relevant cultural and historical circumstances which shaped this literary phenomenon and related concepts we have described in detail this contradictory usage of the term “aljamiado literature” and suggested a more adequate definition of its scope.