São Paulo – The Round of Meetings on Arab-Islamic History and Culture will hold, on September 10 and 17, two classes on “The Crusades: History and Myth,” with professor Plínio Freire Gomes. The dates fall on Mondays, with the classes lasting from 7 pm to 9:30 pm, at the auditorium of bookstore Martins Fontes, at Avenida Paulista, in São Paulo. Registrations are open.
“To study the Crusades helps us to dispel myths and paranoias that our times have built in regard to Islam,” said Gomes in an interview to ANBA. The course’s main idea, according to him, is to reveal the complexity of the historic event that lasted nearly 200 years, between 1095 and 1291. “What we imagine about the Crusades is a fantasy of the antagonism between Christians and Muslims, and it was not the case, it’s way more complex than this,” explained the professor.
Gomes will show that there is a discrepancy in the idea of opposition between the West and the East, Christians and Muslims; he explains that they were 200 years of interference by European Christians in the Middle East with periods of war and also many periods of peace and settlement – the European aristocracy settled in the territory –, alliance and betrayal ploys between the peoples and that, despite the narrative acquiring a religious mark initially, in fact it had an important trade nature since it served to expand trade relations between the regions.
The classes target those interested in history, art history and West-East-Islam relations. The professor will show art works such as paintings, sculptures and illuminations to illustrate the historic period. The courses are organized by Lente Cultural and registrations can be made in the project’s website.
The Round of Meetings will hold other lectures until the end of the year, such as “Syrians and the Lebanese in São Paulo – The Routes of Immigration in the City”, with Juliana Mouawad Khouri, on October 10; “World Heritage Site: Egypt”, with Angela Rosch Rodrigues, on October 24; “The Ottoman Empire: Height and Crisis”, with Heitor Loureiro, on November 12; “Armenia: Genocide, Diaspora and Present-Day Challenges”, with Heitor Loureiro, on November 26; and “Palestine: The Endless Saga”, with Arlene Clemesha, on December 4.
Quick info
The Crusades: History and Myth – Round of Meetings on Arab-Islamic History and Culture
September 10 and 17, from 7 pm to 9:30 pm
Auditorium of bookstore Martins Fontes – Av. Paulista 509, 2nd floor
Professor Plínio Freire Gomes
For registrations, click here
Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
