What is it about?
This article examines how two Andalusi authors, Abū-l-Ḥasan ʿAlī al-Qalaṣādī (b. Baza, Spain, 1412 – d. Béja, Tunis, 1486) and Aḥmad ibn Qāsim al-Ḥağarī (b. Hornachos, Spain, 1570 – d. Tunis after 1642), articulate emotions and self-perception in their travel writings during challenging times. It explores how Arabic travel literature (riḥla) served as a medium for travelers to convey not only their observations but also their emotional experiences and construction of selfhood. Al-Qalaṣādī adopts a specific management of memory, offering an objective narrative that suggests the formation of a distinct subjectivity and a specific representation of his existential context. Thus, the world we access through his Riḥla is devoid of conflict, with no reference to danger, threat, or the ‘other’. In contrast, al-Ḥağarī reflects emotionally on his journeys following his expulsion from Spain. Although these narratives appear markedly different, the study reveals that both texts demonstrate how travel and adversity shaped the authors’ identities and worldviews.
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Why is it important?
Our findings show that even narratives, though seemingly markedly different, reveal how travel and adversity shaped the authors’ identities and worldviews.
Perspectives
I hope this work encourages further exploration of other dimensions of pre-modern Arabic travel literature. These texts not only provide descriptions of places and references to individuals, but also reveal mentalities and perceptions of individuality. Above all, and if nothing else, I hope it stimulates your curiosity.
Maravillas Aguiar Aguilar
Universidad de La Laguna
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Facing Hard Times. Emotion and the Expression of Self in the Autobiographical Accounts by al-Qalaṣādī and al-Ḥağarī1, January 2025, Brill,
DOI: 10.1163/9789004713871_015.
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