Orientalism in Spain: Arab studies and colonialism in Morocco (1894-1943)

Abstract

This article presents and analyzes the relationship between Arab studies and colonialism in Spain. Arabists like Julián Ribera promoted this relationship and were actively involved in the training of ‘colonial agents’ in the service of the Spanish administration. They supported several initiatives to this end, becoming members of various official institutions such as the ‘Junta de Enseñanza de Marruecos’. However, the Arabists’ departure from the ‘Centro de Estudios Históricos’ in 1916 signalled the abandonment of this line of action, as Arab studies became restricted to the academic arena, and focussed on the study of the Arab-Islamic period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula. The creation of the ‘Escuelas de Estudios Árabes’ in 1932, especially that of Granada, marked a new initiative in Spanish arabists’ attempts at colonial involvement. However, this new project was brought to an abrupt halt by the Spanish Civil War.