What is it about?
This work focuses on the roles of what I term “the powerful Moriscos”—the leaders of the Morisco community in 17th-century Tunisia, including the Ašrāf, Sufis, and wealthy elites. It explores how these influential figures used their networks to interact with local Ottoman authorities and external communities, facilitating the settlement of Moriscos after 1609. The study analyzes how they helped secure the community’s wealth, privileges, and protection during this period, often negotiating directly with Tunisian officials or indirectly through Constantinople.
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Why is it important?
It is important to revisit the study of the Morisco settlement in Tunisia during the 17th century in order to understand the development of Tunisia’s history in the modern period, as a country at the heart of the Mediterranean and in active, direct contact with its diverse cultures.
Perspectives
Today, as we live in a global context marked by the rise of discourses rejecting the 'other' and growing hostility toward migrants, I hope that through this article I have shown that openness to the migrant/displaced other has always represented—and continues to represent—a source of enrichment for host societies, on social, cultural, and economic levels.
Houssem Eddine Chachia
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: ‘Powerful Moriscos’ in Tunisia during the Seventeenth Century, May 2024, De Gruyter,
DOI: 10.1163/9789004730885_007.
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