An article by Cameron Mann suggests that the stories of King Arthur and the Arabian Nights are very similar in origin and development. According to Mann, The religious aspects of both stories would...Show moreAn article by Cameron Mann suggests that the stories of King Arthur and the Arabian Nights are very similar in origin and development. According to Mann, The religious aspects of both stories would also be similar. The goal of this thesis is to see if Mann was right. The research question is therefore: what is the role of religion in the stories of King Arthur and the Arabian Nights? The thesis consists of three parts. First a comparison of the origins of both stories, to see if they are actually similar. The second chapter is a deep-dive into the religious elements in the story of King Arthur and their role they play. This will be done by examining different authors, who added different christian elements depending on their historical context. The final chapter is about the islamic elements in the Arabian Nights and how these elements reflect the society of the time the stories were told. The conclusion is that both stories were created in completely different contexts and also that the role of the religious elements are not as similar as Mann suggested.Show less
Andalusian music is performed today all over the Mediterranean and beyond. Why? There is not one kind of music that we can characterize as being from al-Andalus. Jewish and Christian peoples had...Show moreAndalusian music is performed today all over the Mediterranean and beyond. Why? There is not one kind of music that we can characterize as being from al-Andalus. Jewish and Christian peoples had musical traditions before the arrival of the Muslims, who brought along musicians from the East. There was reciprocal influence between traditions, but likely there remained separate identities to a certain extent. From the 15th century, great numbers of Jews, Muslims, or converted people were forced in different installments to leave the Iberian Peninsula. These people brought along elements of their home culture to their new destinations. This forms the basis for most contemporary traditions of Andalusian music. These traditions and their different claims on the identity and purpose of the music, provide telling insights into the narratives on Andalusian music of today. For this reason, I discuss a handful of primary sources, discussing either performances of Andalusian music or ensembles of Andalusian music. Three main narratives emerge, the first being the Islamic Golden Age narrative. It looks back on Al-Andalus as the highpoint of Islamic civilization and culture, and Andalusian music then is instrumentalized as a nostalgic tool and symbol of the ‘ideal’ al-Andalus. The second narrative is that of local heritage. This narrative focusses on the locally cultivated traditions of Andalusian music, that have both a stark regional identity and its own claim to al-Andalus and a certain authenticity. The last main narrative observed is that centered on the European Convivencia ideal, full of nostalgia for a time of peaceful tolerance and collaboration between ‘the three religions’.Show less
