Al-Andalus Revisited - The Shared History of the Moriscos and the Amazigh in Hassan Aourid's The Morisco

The history of Al-Andalus continues to inspire many North Africanliterary works. The Morisco, a novel by Moroccan author Hassan Aourid,is considered a very particular case in its exploration of the Andalusianlegacy. The Morisco, the present article argues, draws its raw materialfrom history not to provide an accurate or objective historical chronicle ofAl-Andalus under Islamic rule but to address critical contemporary issues.One such issue is the connection between the Berber people of North Africa,also known as Imazighen or Amazigh, and the Moriscos who suffered underChristian dominion. The article concludes that The Morisco forges a thematiclink between the historical narrative of Andalusian exile, displacement andidentity crisis, and analogous experiences of the Amazigh people. The novelbridges the gap between historical and contemporary issues and envisionsa future that embraces diversity in culture, identity, language, and religion. Keywords: Al-Andalus, The Morisco, History, Moriscos, Amazigh,Contemporary issues, Hassan Aourid