Beyond Private: The household and the domestic assemblages of Islamisation in Early Medieval Iberia (8th-11th centuries)

This project researches the dynamic lives of women and their materiality in Early Islamic Iberia (8th-11th centuries), with particular emphasis on the role that changing gendered attitudes and practices had in the social and religious transformation of the Iberian Peninsula during the formation of al-Andalus. It will examine how gender was constructed and negotiated within the domestic environment and through the objects that are associated with it, in particular those related to the carrying out of maintenance activities (i.e. food preparation, textile work, hygiene or the socialisation of infants), which are closely tied to gender systems and roles, particularly within patriarchal societies such as Early Medieval Iberia.
As maintenance activities are at the base of creating and sustaining networks of interpersonal relationships, comprehending how they are configured and performed is thus fundamental in studying the continuity and transformation of social dynamics. To do so this research will analyse changes in domestic assemblages and their spatial distribution in the Early Islamic period, as well as the configuration and definition of domestic spaces. Through these, this project will examine the role that gendered practices around maintenance activities and their related spaces had in said social transformation. The PhD will also examine how gender intersects related identities such as ethnicity, religion, and socioeconomic status in the scenario provided by the Iberian Peninsula during this period of great social transformation.