Manipulating the Medieval Past: Convivencia and the Politics of Religious Identity

This paper examines the idea of la convivenica - a historiographical term which refers to the complex relationships between Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities coexisting in the medieval Iberian Peninsula - and explores its popularity as a historical narrative in the recent past compared to previous narratives of Spanish history. Analyzing its relevance to various political agendas both past and present, this paper argues that questions of religious tolerance and identity that lie at the heart of la convivenica have been manipulated since the medieval period itself to suit various political interests throughout history