Islam and the West The Moriscos, a Cultural and Social History By Anwar G. Chejne. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1983, 248 pp.

Abstract

This book is perhaps the best overall presentation of the Morisco
question in English. The author has succeeded where others have failed
in presenting a work simultaneously acceptable to the specialist and capable
of being read by the cultivated general reader. The specialist will
probably not find a better study of the Moriscos, because the author has
adopted a comprehensive overall approach. The very complete bibliography
includes studies of most of the distinguished specialists on the
subject, particularly the Spaniards, as they have studied this topic more
profoundly than anybody else. The works of non-Spaniard scholars who
have made significant contributions to this field, such as Cardaillac of the
University of Montpelier and Harvey of the University of London, are
also listed. Chejne has further relied on numerous aljamiado manuscripts,
which makes his study an important contribution in its own right. The
author's clear and simple style, as well as his manner of presentation, will
also satisfy the general reader.
The issue of the Moriscos remains both fascinating and relevant to
our time. Chejne has not examined a specific aspect of the Morisco question,
as did Cardaillac in his classical study of the Morisco question's ...