UNIVERSIDAD DE GRANADA TESIS DOCTORAL READING, ANALYSING AND DECODING HIDDEN DISCOURSES IN LITERARY TEXTS: THE HETERONORMATIVITY AND SEXUALITY IN THE LITERATURE OF AL-ANDALUS Doctorando: Borjan Grozdanoski, MA Director: Dr. Raúl Ruiz Cecilia Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias de la Educación Granada, 2019 Editor: Universidad de Granada. Tesis Doctorales Autor: Borjan Grozdanoski ISBN: 978-84-1306-285-3 URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10481/56797 Acknowledgments I would like to express my special gratitude to JoinEU-SEE PENTA EU & South Eastern Europe: Participating, Exchanging and Networking in a Transnational Alliance for Internationalization in Higher Education - mobility programme ERASMUS MUNDUS Action 2 - Strand 1 - Lot 7, and the Coordinator for the Selection Committee of JoinEU-SEE PENTA for providing me a full doctoral scholarship without which, I would not be able to conduct my research at the University of Granada, Spain. Thereafter, this doctoral dissertation is a product of few years of investigation and research. I would also like to express my gratitude to the people who had been of a huge help in completion of this work. My special thanks go to my thesis director Dr. Raúl Ruiz Cecilia from the University of Granada, who was very comprehensive and understanding in the process of research and writing of my dissertation. He had provided me all the necessary help and materials needed during these years of investigation. I would also like to thank Dr. Juan Ramón Guijarro Ojeda, University of Granada for his assistance, support and providing me essential materials concerning certain parts of this thesis. In addition, I feel very grateful to Dr. Cristina Pérez Valverde, University of Granada for her unconditional support and constant encouragement. And finally I do thank all my colleagues from the University, and all the people I met in Granada who encouraged me to take this dissertation to its end. Table of Contents Acknowledgements Abstract I Resumen III Glossary V CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND JUSTIFICATION 1 1. Introduction 3 1.1. Background to the Study: Research Topic and Focus 3 1.2. Justification and Significance 5 1.3. The Structure of the Dissertation 9 CHAPTER 2: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 13 2. Short Historical Overview on Social and Political Circumstances from the 15 Moorish Conquest until the End of the Middle Ages. The Ethnos, the Art and the Social Organisation 2.1. The Moorish Invasion of Al-Andalus and the Formation of the Umayyad Emirate 16 and the Caliphate (XIII-XI A.D.) 2.2. The Taifa Kingdoms (XI A.D. 1031-1091) 20 2.3. Almoravids and the Almohads Take the Power over Al-Andalus (XI-XIII A.D. 21 1091-1146-1269) 2.4. The Nasrid Kingdom of Granada (XIII-XIV A.D.) 23 2.5. The Ethnos of Al-Andalus between the IX and the XIII Centuries: Overview on 24 the Social Organisation and the Art in General as Basis for the Sexual Perception in the Society CHAPTER 3: AL-ANDALUS LITERATURE 29 3. Overview of Medieval Andalusian Literature with Emphasis on the 31 Homoerotic Tendencies in the Literary Texts 3.1. Introduction to the Language and the Literature of Al-Andalus: Emphasis on 31 Arabic Texts 3.1.1. The Literary Forms: Muwashshah, Maqama and Qasida 35 3.2. Homosexuality and the Homoerotic Tendencies in the Literature of Al-Andalus 39 3.2.1. Religious and Cultural Context 43 3.2.1.1. Islam, the Sharia Low and Homosexuality among the Muslims 43 3.2.1.2. Judaism and the Homosexuality in the Jewish Community 45 3.2.2. Overview of the Homoeroticism in the Literature of Al-Andalus 48 3.2.2.1. Homoeroticism in Hispano-Arabic Literary Texts 48 3.2.2.2. The Flow and the Development of the Hispano-Arabic Homoerotic 50 Poetry 3.2.2.2.1. Hispano-Arabic Homoerotic Poetry during the Reign of the 51 Umayyad Dynasty 3.2.2.2.2. Hispano-Arabic Poetry in Taifa Kingdoms 53 3.2.2.2.3. Hispano-Arabic Poetry in the Almohad Caliphate 57 3.2.2.2.4. Feminine Homoerotic Expression in Hispano-Arabic Poems 59 3.2.3. Homoeroticism in Hispano-Hebrew Literary Texts 60 3.3. Academic Criticism on the Homoerotic Literature of Al-Andalus, Translations 66 and Interpretations of Texts and Anthologies of Hispano-Arabic and Hispano-Hebrew Literature CHAPTER 4: LITERATURE REVIEW 69 4. Review of Previous Investigation on The Ring of the Dove by Ibn Hazm, the 71 Holy Quran and the Medieval Andalusian Women CHAPTER 5: GENDER STUDIES 81 5. Foregrounding Gender Studies 83 5.1. Sex and Gender Classification 83 5.2. Queer Theory Overview 86 5.3. Heteronormativity 98 5.3.1. Feminism, Heteronormativity and Homonormativity 99 5.3.2. Application of the Heteronormativity 101 5.4. Homosociability and Homoeroticism 102 5.5. Application of Queer Theory in Literary Studies 108 CHAPTER 6: METHOD 109 6. Methodological Approach 111 6.1. Investigation Aim 111 6.2. Data Collection 112 6.3. Instruments 113 6.4. Analysis 113 6.5. Research Questions 116 6.6. Research Objectives 117 CHAPTER 7: ANALYSIS 119 7. Heteronormativity, Sexuality, Homoeroticism and Love in the Literary Texts 121 of Al-Andalus, with Emphasis on the Quran and The Ring of the Dove by Ibn Hazm of Cordova 7.1. Heteronormativity and Women in Al-Andalus: Religious Submissiveness vs. 121 Literary Freedom 7.1.1. Representation of Woman in Existing Literature and the Teachings of the 128 Quran 7.1.2. Marriage and Divorce 131 7.1.3. Sex, Obscenity and Chastity 139 7.1.4. Inheritance 142 7.1.5. Other Rights and Obligations 144 7.1.5.1. Pregnancy, Parenthood and Lactation 145 7.1.5.2. Freedom 146 7.1.5.3. Obedience 146 7.1.6. Law, Public Administration and Politics: Involvement and Exclusion 147 7.2. Ibn Hazm and The Ring of the Dove 150 7.2.1. Ibn Hazm of Cordova, Life and Works 150 7.2.2. Ibn Hazm’s Concepts of Love, Sexuality, Homoeroticism and Analysis of 152 the Attraction and the Signs of Love 7.2.2.1. Short Overview of Ibn Hazm’s Concepts of Love, Sexuality and 153 Homoeroticism 7.2.2.2. Analysis of the Attraction and the Signs of Love in Relation to Love, 158 Sexuality and Homoeroticism in The Ring of the Dove 7.2.3. Heteronormativity and Sexual Autonomy in The Ring of the Dove 171 7.2.4. Gender Roles and Queer Identity 175 7.2.5. Gender Inversion and the Female Voice 183 7.2.6. Gender Polarisation 188 7.2.6.1. Rational vs. Emotional 189 7.2.6.2. Aggressive vs. Passive 193 7.2.6.3. Dominant vs. Submissive 195 CHAPTER 8: DIDACTIC PROPOSAL 199 8. Didactic Approach Proposal: Reading, Analysing and Decoding Activities 201 8.1. Objectives and Goals 205 8.2. Activities on the Historical Events in Medieval Al-Andalus and the Literature of 206 the Time 8.3. Activities on Homoerotic Hispano-Arabic Literature 209 8.4. Activities on Homosexuality and Homoerotic Tendencies in The Ring of the Dove 210 8.5. Activities on Queer, Gender Identity, Gender Inversion and Female Voice 219 Acquisition 8.6. Activities Regarding the (In)visibility of Women in Religious Texts. Emphasis 226 on the Teachings of the Quran CHAPTER 9: CONCLUSIONS, LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE AVENUES 231 OF RESEARCH 9. Conclusions 233 9.1. Autobiographical reflection 233 9.2. Concluding comments 233 9.2.1. On the History of Al-Andalus 234 9.2.2. On Homosexuality and Homoerotic Literature 235 9.2.3. On Gender and Heteronormativity 237 9.2.4. On Women 239 9.2.5. On Ibn Hazm and The Ring of the Dove 243 9.2.6. On the Didactic Proposal 246 9.3. Suggestions for future research 249 9.4. Limitations of the Study 250 Resumen extenso de la tesis en español 251 References 287 Appendix 1 307 Appendix 2 310 Abstract The subject of this doctoral dissertation is the sexuality and the heteronormativity reflected in the literary work of Al-Andalus. Sexuality and the question of gender play a huge role in the Medieval Andalusian Society, thus they represent a fundamental element in the creation of the sexual rights and freedoms which later on will be transferred to the modern Spanish society. Sex and gender form an integral part of the aspiration for free expression of gender identities and consequently sexual affinities. The research conveyed on the elaboration of these issues is a crucial element in establishing the “sexual liberties” on a selected literary canon from the period. The questions in the text to follow tend to resolve the inconsistency and the unclearness of given Andalusian texts, with emphasis on The Ring of the Dove by Ibn Hazm of Cordoba, and the Quran itself as a paramount text in the Andalusian Islamic society. The texts themselves by their nature can be quite ambivalent and there is not enough clearness in respect of understanding them by a contemporary reader. Some of the factors that most often are misinterpreted are: the freedom of choosing a sexual partner, personal gender affiliation and identification, as well as the rights of women in religious and secular life. All these issues lead us to one very important question and that is: “Why of all places on Earth, one Medieval Islamic society in the heart of Europe is so important in determining gender and sexual rights and freedoms?” While an analysis was being carried out, a method of deduction was used in order to detect the issues related to sexuality and to its perception. Certain aspects in the literary works analysed were elaborated with the help of segments extracted from other authors who had contributed to postulating sex and gender as a main issue in respect of sexuality.