Staging the Past: Intolerance, Appropriation, and the Politics of Memory in Contemporary Spanish Festive Traditions

The medieval Iberian past is romanticized for many contemporary Spaniards as a time of glorious heroism. Various Spanish festivals restage medieval conflicts and customs, annually resurrecting the medieval past. Though often viewed as harmless entertainment, these celebrations reinforce problematic depictions of religious “others,” particularly Jews and Muslims. Drawing on audiovisual and material sources, I argue that three specific historicized traditions–Leon’s matar judíos cocktail, Badajoz’s al-Mossassa festival, and the widespread Moros y Cristianos festivals–influence popular historical knowledge through embodied, affective, and state-supported heritage that privileges Christian perspectives while perpetuating centuries-old stereotypes and obscuring the complex legacy of the “Reconquista.”