Ibn Ḥazm of Córdoba and Orientalist Europe. A Connected History of Alterity

Abstract

Ibn Ḥazm (d. 456 H/1064 CE), the Andalusian polymath, continues to fascinate scholars and orientalists across the Mediterranean. His work, notably the Ṭawq al-ḥamāma (The Ring of the Dove), exemplifies intercultural exchanges between East and Europe. Rediscovered by Reinhart Dozy in the nineteenth century, the Ring became a mediator of intellectual circulation through its numerous European translations. Drawing on a connected history and contact zone approach, this article examines how Ibn Ḥazm has been read as a mirror of the Other, shaping debates on identity, reform, and culture in German and Spanish contexts. His work fuels discussions and extends beyond mere reception, functioning as a contact zone between Europe and the Orient. The commemoration of his ninth centenary in Córdoba in 1963 highlights his role as an intercultural mediator. Ibn Ḥazm thus emerges as a figure of alterity, linking Europe and the Orient through intellectual and symbolic circulation.