Maser M (2025)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2025
Book Volume: 59
Pages Range: 357-382
Issue: 1
Focusing on numismatic material from the medieval Iberian Peninsula, this essay explores the hermeneutic potential of the concept of ‘cultural appropriation’ for the study of pre-modern processes of cultural exchange. In a first section, the text discusses current notions of ‘cultural appropriation’, many of which refer specifically to modern or contemporary societies. Abandoning epoch-specific premises, the essay proposes a more general semiotic reading of ‘culturally appropriated’ objects as ‘transcultural signifiers’ that interrelate the parties involved in cultural exchange and create entanglements of cultural orders and systems of meaning. The second section tests this specific understanding of ‘cultural appropriation’ on a series of numismatic takeovers from medieval Spain: in 1172, King Alfonso VIII of Castile began issuing gold coins in imitation of the established Almoravid dinar. While maintaining the outward appearance of the Muslim model, Alfonso changed the Arabic inscriptions on the coins to proclaim the superiority of Christian faith and rule. Comparison with other examples of imitative Muslim coinage issued by Christian rulers from the eighth to the twelfth centuries helps to assess this particular case of ‘cultural appropriation’, which in several respects defies current understandings of the concept.
For several years now, the catch phrase ‘cultural appropriation’ has fuelled societal debates, usually generating a high degree of public interest. It may seem tempting to make use of this colourful term to draw attention also to medieval history and its objects of research [1]. As a key word in current socio-political controversies, however, ‘cultural appropriation’ almost inevitably evokes specific notions, expectations, and moral judgements that must burden the concept as an analytical instrument. At this moment, it is yet unclear whether the concept in its most recent concretions can be meaningfully applied to pre-modern phenomena and whether it can offer any additional analytical value for their study. In the following, I will present some methodological considerations on ‘cultural appropriation’, and then evaluate them against selected numismatic material from the medieval Iberian Peninsula, which exemplifies various scenarios of cultural interaction and apparently challenges certain underlying assumptions of current notions of ‘cultural appropriation’. My aim is to examine whether the concept of ‘cultural appropriation’ can adequately capture the variety of different constellations and strategies in pre-modern cultural takeovers, or whether it misses specific scenarios that are better described as, e. g. ‘imitation’ or ‘translation’.
APA:
Maser, M. (2025). “The Emir of the Catholics”. Frühmittelalterliche Studien, 59, 357-382. https://doi.org/10.1515/fmst-2025-0014
MLA:
Maser, Matthias. "“The Emir of the Catholics”." Frühmittelalterliche Studien 59 (2025): 357-382.
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