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Averroës Lectures on Jewish Communities in Muslim Lands

Andrea di Bonaiuto, Apotesosi di San Tommaso d'Aquino, 11 Averroè. (Photo: Sailko, cropped .) Used under license: CC BY 3.

About the Series

Underwritten by a generous anonymous donor, the Averroës Lecture Series focuses on Jewish communities living in Muslim lands prior to the 20th century. We are extremely grateful for the vision and innovation of this donor whose generous contribution has enabled us to expand programming at the Center for Near Eastern Studies in such an interesting direction. The program offers quarterly lectures over two years by experts from around the world, publishes an occasional paper series, and culminates in a major conference featuring young scholars engaged in cutting-edge research on the topic. This web page offers videos and podcasts of the lectures, along with complete reprints of the occasional papers.

Calligraphy by Masud Valipour

About Averroës

Averroës is the Latin name of ibn Rushd, the 12th century Andalusian polymath whose philosophical works integrated Islamic traditions with Ancient Greek thought. Over subsequent centuries, his commentaries on Plato and Aristotle came to influence Jewish and Christian thinkers throughout Europe, among them Maimonides, Thomas Aquinas, and Baruch Spinoza. The choice of Averroës as the name for the Lecture Series is significant because it points to a history of Cordoba’s Jewish-Muslim relations and the connections between Averroës and Maimonides, both of whom were committed to intellectual exchange and communal life across religious boundaries.

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