New Medieval Books: In Plain Sight

In Plain Sight: Muslims of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem

By Ann E. Zimo

University of Pennsylvania Press
ISBN: 978-1-5128-2489-6

After the First Crusade, many Muslim communities in the Eastern Mediterranean found themselves under the rule of the Crusader States. This book delves into the lives of these Muslims, exploring how they adapted and endured under their new rulers.

Excerpt:

This book examines how Muslims in and around the Kingdom of Jerusalem experienced Frankish rule. I answer questions such as: Where did Muslims live and work and to what extent did they interact with Franks? What was their legal status and what kind of political power did they wield? How did Muslims and Franks interact culturally and what kind of knowledge did they exchange? I approach this study with the conception that different aspects of social life (e.g., economic, legal, political, intellectual, cultural) each present their own sets of relations that form a map of sorts. What follows is a discussion of multiple landscapes that seeks to map the communities according to not just geographic but also economic, legal, political, intellectual, and cultural spaces.

Who is this book for?

This book appeals to two main audiences: those intrigued by the development of the Crusader States and those eager to explore the connections between diverse peoples in the medieval period, especially between Christians and Muslims. It will also have some uses in exploring the Arabic states that bordered the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem.

The Author

Ann Zimo is an Associate Professor at the University of New Hampshire, where her research focuses on cultural interaction and exchange in the Middle Ages.

You can learn more about this book from the publisher’s website. 

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