Humanities West Presents Toledo: The Multicultural Challenges of Medieval Spain
Herbst Theatre at the San Francisco War Memorial Building (401 Van Ness Ave San Francisco, CA 94102)
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The last date listed for Humanities West: Toledo: The Multicultural Challenges of Medieval Spain was Saturday February 5, 2011 / 10:00am.
7 Goldstar Member Reviews
sflass
excellent and informative - can't wait to go back to Toledo!Written on Feb 07 2011
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Goldstar Member
I attended the all-day Sat. presentation. The speakers/presenters each had their strong and weak points, but none was less than interesting. Overall, it was an intriguing mix of topics related to Toledo, and included politics, law, religion, art and architecture, music (Richard Savino and cohorts gave a wonderful mini-concert) and a critique of how this era has been interpreted by modern historians (Prof. Ruiz--rightly--poured cold water on the modern use of the term Convivencia to describe the complexities of that time). After the presentation, I wanted to book a trip to Toledo to see and experience it again, this time armed with more knowledge.Written on Feb 07 2011
The only drawback was that it got very warm up in the Herbst balcony!
I do regret somehow missing the earlier seminar on Venice--any plans to bring it back sometime?
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Ken
The two morning sessions on the history of Toledo and the architecture and art were most informative.Written on Feb 08 2011
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Ken
Overall, a very good event. The Friday evening session was a little less interesting than the all- day Saturday session.Written on Feb 08 2011
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More Information About Humanities West: Toledo: The Multicultural Challenges of Medieval Spain
Website
http://www.humanitieswest.org/currentToledo.html
Quotes & Highlights
- Learn more about the program's presenters.
- View suggested reading and resources for further information about Toledo from Humanities West.
Description
Schedule:
Friday, February 5, 2011 8:00pm - 10:15pm
Lecture: The Place of Toledo in Spanish History
Teofilo Ruiz (Professor of History, UCLA) provides a broad view of the history of Toledo from its Roman foundation to the aftermath of the conquest of the city by the Christian armies of Alfonso VI in 1085. Emphasis is on the Visigothic presence in the city, the role of Toledo as the capital of the Visigothic empire, as primate Church in early modern Spain, as well as on the great Church councils held in the city. In many ways, the edicts of these councils eerily foreshadowed later harsh legislation against Muslims and Jews in the mid-thirteenth century. Focusing on discreet aspects of Toledo's history and on its unique location in the center of the peninsula, Professor Ruiz also explores the contradictions inherent in Alfonso VI's definition of himself as the emperor of the three religions (Islam, Christianity and Judaism) and the parallel development: the growing antagonisms between different religious groups in the city and the realm.
Performance
Soprano Susan Rode-Morris, percussionist Peter Maund, viola-da-gambist David Morris, and vielle/violinist Shira Kammen present a program indicative of the astonishing diversity of the music of late Medieval and Renaissance Toledo and Spain. From the Spanish secular storytelling villancicos to Sephardic love songs and laments, to the Moorish muwashah, this concert explores the rich and unusual meeting of cultures which culminated in a fascinating world. Introduced by Clifford (Kip) Cranna (Director of Musical Administration, SF Opera)
Saturday, February 4, 2011 10:00am - 4:00pm
Lecture: From Difference to Deviance in Early Modern Toledo
Mary Elizabeth Perry (Research Associate, UCLA Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies).
The Purity of Blood Statute passed by the city government of Toledo in 1449 signaled a major change from past toleration of difference to official condemnation of difference as deviance. Originally aimed at judeo-conversos (Jews who had converted to Christianity), this law reflected a larger concern about growing challenges to a ruling elite. Historical records, literature, art, and architecture of Toledo expose deep anxieties about not only judeo-conversos, but also moriscos (Muslims who had to convert to Christianity in the early 16th century), the poor, the infirm, and prostitutes.
Lecture: Toledo's Visual Interlace
Deborah Loft (Art History Professor, College of Marin). Toledo offers a rich opportunity to explore artistic interchange across lines of political power. Works of art ranging from medieval mosques, synagogues, and churches to the paintings of El Greco—himself a product of several cultures—reflect the city's complex cultural relationships. The "Cristo de la Luz" mosque and the "Santa Maria la Blanca" and "Il Tránsito" synagogues are considered in the broader context of the Iberian Peninsula and as contributions to European art down to modern times. Toledo is also viewed through the paintings and projects of El Greco, for whom the city provided the patronage for his distinctive later work.
Lunch Break
Performance
Orphenica Lyra: Orpheus’ Lyre in Spain
Virtuoso guitarist Richard Savino (Professor of Music, CSU Sacramento) captures the spontaneity of Spanish period music on the guitar and vuihuela, el rey de los renacimiento intrumentos español (the king of Spanish renaissance instruments). Shaped in a manner more closely resembling that of a modern guitar, yet tuned in the manner of a lute, the vihuela was the defining musical instrument of late 15th and 16th century Spain.
Lecture: The Limits and Pitfalls of "Convivencia"
Teofilo Ruiz (Professor of History, UCLA). This lecture, a summation of our study of the great city of Toledo, examines critically the historiographical debate about convivencia, the supposedly peaceful interaction of Jews, Muslims, and Christians in medieval Toledo and Spain. By tracing the historical roots for this concept and its development over time, Professor Ruiz seeks to provide a new assessment of what the term meant for those different religions co-existing in medieval Toledo and Iberia, and what the presence or absence of real convivencia tells us about medieval Spain and about our own conflicted experiences of toleration and intolerance in the modern world. While most Toledan and medieval Castilian art shows a high degree of what Jerrilynn Dodds has defined as hybridity, Professor Ruiz examines, though a brief look at some specific cultural markers, how that hybridity worked at the level of everyday life.
Panel Discussion with all presenters and written questions from the audience.