West of Eden (WE): Muslim and Jewish Cultures in the Western Mediterranean (13th-17th centuries) /Al oeste del Edén (OE): culturas musulmana y judía en el mediterráneo occidental (ss. XIII-XVII)

The relations between Muslims and Jews epitomize some of the most pressing challenges about cohesive plural societies and the integration of religious minorities today. In turn, the history of their interactions offers a unique way of understanding interreligious dynamics in what was to become modern Europe and its colonies. Scholars have noted that when intimacy and conflict intersect, complex modes of intellectual and cultural co-production emerge between Jews and Muslims. Historical records reveal the deep interconnectedness of Jews and Muslims, documenting how they met, intermingled and opposed each other over the centuries. Manuscripts, archival sources, artefacts, talismans, epigraphy and archaeological remains provide valuable insights into the practices and modes of thought in the areas of convergence between their groups in the pre-modern Western Mediterranean.

West of Eden (WE): Muslim and Jewish Cultures in the Western Mediterranean (13^th-17^th c.) interrogates critically the boundaries between Muslims and Jews in the Western Mediterranean, aiming to shed new light and advancing knowledge on their interactions. It will explore identity discourses, thought and practices in the spaces in between their groups. The project will look at religious diversity, inter-community relations and the construction of identity and otherness in the pre-modern period, particularly between Jews and Muslims in the Western Mediterranean.