Córdoba fieldtrip, March 2019
11th April 2019
To be Spanish, as one of our guides told us, is to be Catholic. And yet, he continued, that is also to obscure the variety and contradictions which are central to the heritage and identity of Spain. The stunning Mesquita in Córdoba – a Catholic Cathedral built in the middle of a Mosque – illustrates the complexity of such heritage and identity. Students explored the Mesquita, the Alcazars in Seville and Córdoba, and many more ancient and more contemporary articulations of Spanish culture. (Has Córdoba’s nightlife recovered from their enthusiastic participation?) They asked question of what it means for Spain to have the heritage it enjoys. And that raised questions about our own identities as a group of diverse Brits.
We left in rain and wind, returned in rain and wind. The time in Córdoba was a space in which to enjoy some unseasonal sun. It was also an opportunity to build friendships and ask perplexing questions about how the past shapes who we are.