The Feeling of History

"Hirschkind questions cultural, linguistic, and even geographic boundaries between contemporary Spain, Europe, and the Arab world, which is sure to interest scholars of medieval Europe, professional historians, students of Spanish politics, and anyone concerned with issues of multicultural identity. . . . Highly recommended." * Choice *
“With a marvelous confluence of sense and sensibility, Hirschkind offers careful correction to the courses we too readily navigate from the past. Speaking directly to the resonance and imbrication of ‘Islam’ and ‘Europe’ in the sounds and edifices of Granada, The Feeling of History is a luminous, deeply thoughtful, and unusually thought-provoking account of the salience of historical receptivity and imagination for contemporary ethical, aesthetic, and political life everywhere.” * Michael Lambek, author of 'The Ethical Condition: Essays on Action, Person, and Value' *
“The Feeling of History is an utterly original and exciting book. Hirschkind writes with great sensibility, subtly demonstrating the education that he and his subjects go through in their respective journeys. His erudite treatment of layers of Arabic and Islamic culture, and of a vast range of Spanish history, culture, and politics, is both subtle and rich. No other book achieves so much in so many registers, and no anthropologist has done this kind of multilayered work.” * Gil Anidjar, author of 'Our Place in al-Andalus: Kabbalah, Philosophy, Literature in Arab Jewish Letters' *
"In a tightly argued and nuanced text, Hirschkind analyzes Andalucismo as a sort of 'historical therapeutics' that aims to uncover the buried pasts of Spain’s heterogenous communities... [His] sensorial approach to the philosophical sensibilities at the crossroads of history, memory, and the contested politics of Spain and 'Fortress Europe' offers scholars new avenues to approach old questions about belonging, interfaith relations, tradition, heritage, and narrative." * Reading Religion *