Spanish Musical Responses to Moroccan Immigration and the Cultural Memory of al-Andalus

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>The notion of a shared history across the Mediterranean is central to a number of Spanish-Moroccan musical collaborations, which draw on the notion of <jats:italic>convivencia</jats:italic>: the alleged peaceful coexistence between Christians, Jews, and Muslims in medieval Spain. In this article, I explore the relationship between a ‘musical’ <jats:italic>convivencia</jats:italic> and Moroccan immigration in Spain, focusing on two prominent case studies: <jats:italic>Macama jonda</jats:italic> (1983) and <jats:italic>Inmigración</jats:italic> (2003). Spanning a twenty-year period, I argue that these two productions illustrate shifting responses to Moroccan immigration at distinct historical moments: the post-Franco era and post-9/11. These two productions illustrate the malleability of the <jats:italic>convivencia</jats:italic> myth, employing it for distinct social and political purposes. I argue that <jats:italic>Macama jonda</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>Inmigración</jats:italic> should be read as products of shifting political and cultural relations between Spain and Morocco, and Spain's negotiation of its Muslim past.</jats:p>