Papers by Tsampika/Mika Paraskeva
“Scrutinizing the Constructions of Wa’d through Major Lexicographical Sources”, Arabica, 71:1-2 (2024), pp. 1-77., 2024
The term wa ʾd is commonly understood to refer to the alleged custom of the pre-Islamic era to bu... more The term wa ʾd is commonly understood to refer to the alleged custom of the pre-Islamic era to bury new-born girls alive after their birth. As such, it has become part and parcel of the portrayal of pre-Islamic Arabia (ǧāhiliyya). The present paper provides a thorough analysis of the concept of wa ʾd and its relevant cognates, as they occur in major
lexicographical sources, aiming to shed light on certain mechanisms of construction of what is traditionally accepted as an accurate depiction of a real practice.
Hawwa, 2021
In all languages, lexicons constitute a valuable source of information on femininities and women.... more In all languages, lexicons constitute a valuable source of information on femininities and women. This assertion is enhanced in the case of pre-modern Arabic lexicography, due to the diversity of its contents. However, the picture of women in lexicons has always received more attention in the field of lexicography in Western languages than in Arabic. This paper aims to fill a minor part of this noteworthy gap, by shedding light on all semantical, lexical, and orthographic elements which concern the word “woman” (imraʾa/al-marʾa) in pre-modern Arabic lexicons, more specifically, under the root m-r-ʾ.
Miscelánea de Estudios Árabes y Hebraicos (Sección Árabe-Islam), 2021
The aim of the present article is to analyze, compare and translate accounts referring to Qays b.... more The aim of the present article is to analyze, compare and translate accounts referring to Qays b. ‘Āṣim and Ṣa‘ṣa‘a b. Nājiya, two noblemen of the last stage of the jāhiliyya who were involved in the custom of wa’d, the alleged pre-Islamic practice of burying female infants alive at birth. Qays is depicted as a man who finds himself obliged to commit wa’d in a certain period of his life in order to safeguard his honour. In the opposite position is Ṣa‘ṣa‘a, who becomes the saviour of the maw’ūdāt, baby girls on the verge of being buried alive. To achieve the proposed objectives, pertinent sources have been thoroughly examined and relevant excerpts extracted. These texts have been analysed, translated, and classified according to their content. Taken together, the results of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of the custom of wa’d and they shed light on the mechanisms used by the sourced to turn the acts of Qays b. ‘Āṣim and Ṣa‘ṣa‘a b. Nājiya into symbolic representations of good and evil in the context of the pre-Islamic period.
Resumen: Los términos que definen la personalidad de las cantoras y músicas en el con-texto del m... more Resumen: Los términos que definen la personalidad de las cantoras y músicas en el con-texto del mundo árabe medieval se dividen en dos categorías: en aquellos que están rela-cionados con la música y en los que remiten a su condición social. Estos últimos se anali-zan detenidamente a lo largo del presente estudio, basado, fundamentalmente, en el Kitāb al-agānī de Abū l-Faraŷ al-Iṣfahānī.
Abstract: The terms which define the personality of female singers and musicians in the context of the medieval Arab world can be divided in two categories: the ones related to music and those referring to their social status. The latter are thoroughly analyzed in the present study, mainly based on Abū l-Faraŷ al-Iṣfahānī's Kitāb al-aghānī. Palabras clave: Qiyān. Ŷawārī. Mawālī. Esclavas cantoras. Kitāb al-agānī.
Mika Paraskeva Universidad de Granada
Resumen: La condición artística de las cantoras y músicas del mundo árabe medieval que-da refleja... more Resumen: La condición artística de las cantoras y músicas del mundo árabe medieval que-da reflejada en las fuentes en una serie de términos relacionados con sus destrezas musicales. Dichos términos se examinan conjuntamente en el presente artículo, a través del ingente volumen de noticias afines que contiene el Kitāb al-agānī de Abū l-Faraŷ al-Iṣfahānī, la fuente de mayor importancia para el estudio del tema de las cantoras en el contexto histórico en cuestión.
Abstract: The artistic identity of female singers and musicians in the medieval Arab world
is reflected in the sources in a number of terms related to their musical skills. These terms
are examined in the present paper, taking into consideration the vast volume of information
contained in Abū l-Faraj al-Iṣfahānī’s Kitāb al-Aghānī, the most important source
for the topic of female singers in the above mentioned historical context.
Las cantoras del mundo árabe medieval -comúnmente denominadas qiyān, muganniyāt o ŷawārī muganniy... more Las cantoras del mundo árabe medieval -comúnmente denominadas qiyān, muganniyāt o ŷawārī muganniyāt-son una figura de interés artístico, antropológico y social. La mayoría de ellas fueron esclavas y, sin embargo, desde esa condición pudieron disfrutar de ciertos privilegios materiales. Estos últimos constituyen el tema del presente artículo, para la elaboración del cual se ha utilizado como fuente principal el Kitāb alagānī, la célebre antología de canciones, poemas y anécdotas realizada por Abū l-Faraŷ al-Iṣfahānī en el siglo IV/ X. Abstract: The singing girls of the medieval Arab world -commonly referred to as qiyān, mughanniyāt or jawārī mughanniyāt-are figures of artistic, anthropological and social interest. Despite the fact that most of them were slaves, they were able to enjoy certain material privileges, as shown in the Kitāb al-aghānī, the celebrated anthology of songs, poems and anecdotes created by Abū l-Faraj al-Iṣfahānī in the 4 th /10 th century. Palabras clave: Qiyān. Esclavas cantoras. Remuneración de las cantoras. Kitāb al-agānī.
Miscelánea de estudios árabes y hebraicos. Sección árabe-islam, Jan 1, 2010
This paper analyses the similarities and differences between two female figures: the "hetairai", ... more This paper analyses the similarities and differences between two female figures: the "hetairai", prostitutes of high status in ancient Greece, and the "qiyán", singing slave-girls in the medieval Arab world. Both figures are characterized by a privileged physical appearance, a series of extraordinary artistic qualities and an unusual intellectual education compared to that of the women of their respective epochs. The comparison between both characters lead to some speculation about a possible influence of the
hetaira on the qayna —as part of the influence that the Greek culture exerted on the medieval Arab world.
Books by Tsampika/Mika Paraskeva
Book Reviews by Tsampika/Mika Paraskeva
Miscelánea de Estudios Árabes y Hebraicos (Sección Árabe-Islam), 2021
La traducción y estudio de la obra El libro de los huertos en flor del erudito de la Granada naza... more La traducción y estudio de la obra El libro de los huertos en flor del erudito de la Granada nazarí Ibn ‘Āṣim al-Garnāṭī –realizada por Desirée López Bernal– constituye una obra de valor universal que resulta de gran utilidad a los estudiosos del campo de los estudios árabes-islámicos, cualquiera que sea su enfoque (la literatura, la lengua, la historia o los usos y costumbres de la sociedad islámica de la época), pero también a los estudiosos de la literatura española o europea, de la cuentística y de la paremiología. Al mismo tiempo, El libro de los huertos en flor puede ser disfrutado en su calidad de obra literaria por un público no académico, pues su contenido original y su traducción comentada lo hacen accesible a cualquier lector que quiera acercarse a él con la única intención de entregarse a los deleites de la literatura universal.
En el imaginario colectivo del islam, el término wa’d, también conocido como wa’d al-banāt, hace ... more En el imaginario colectivo del islam, el término wa’d, también conocido como wa’d al-banāt, hace referencia a una supuesta costumbre de la Arabia preislámica, según la cual los hombres –o, quizá, ambos padres-enterraban vivas a sus hijas recién nacidas para desembarazarse de la responsabilidad de criarlas, en períodos de escasez de víveres, pero también en épocas de tensión en el plano bélico, para evitar el agravio que recaía sobre ellos cuando sus hijas eran raptadas por los hombres de otras tribus. En el interesante estudio que aquí nos ocupa, Marzūq Ibn Tunbāk recoge un amplio volumen de información relacionada con dicha costumbre.
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Papers by Tsampika/Mika Paraskeva
lexicographical sources, aiming to shed light on certain mechanisms of construction of what is traditionally accepted as an accurate depiction of a real practice.
Abstract: The terms which define the personality of female singers and musicians in the context of the medieval Arab world can be divided in two categories: the ones related to music and those referring to their social status. The latter are thoroughly analyzed in the present study, mainly based on Abū l-Faraŷ al-Iṣfahānī's Kitāb al-aghānī. Palabras clave: Qiyān. Ŷawārī. Mawālī. Esclavas cantoras. Kitāb al-agānī.
Abstract: The artistic identity of female singers and musicians in the medieval Arab world
is reflected in the sources in a number of terms related to their musical skills. These terms
are examined in the present paper, taking into consideration the vast volume of information
contained in Abū l-Faraj al-Iṣfahānī’s Kitāb al-Aghānī, the most important source
for the topic of female singers in the above mentioned historical context.
hetaira on the qayna —as part of the influence that the Greek culture exerted on the medieval Arab world.
Books by Tsampika/Mika Paraskeva
Book Reviews by Tsampika/Mika Paraskeva
lexicographical sources, aiming to shed light on certain mechanisms of construction of what is traditionally accepted as an accurate depiction of a real practice.
Abstract: The terms which define the personality of female singers and musicians in the context of the medieval Arab world can be divided in two categories: the ones related to music and those referring to their social status. The latter are thoroughly analyzed in the present study, mainly based on Abū l-Faraŷ al-Iṣfahānī's Kitāb al-aghānī. Palabras clave: Qiyān. Ŷawārī. Mawālī. Esclavas cantoras. Kitāb al-agānī.
Abstract: The artistic identity of female singers and musicians in the medieval Arab world
is reflected in the sources in a number of terms related to their musical skills. These terms
are examined in the present paper, taking into consideration the vast volume of information
contained in Abū l-Faraj al-Iṣfahānī’s Kitāb al-Aghānī, the most important source
for the topic of female singers in the above mentioned historical context.
hetaira on the qayna —as part of the influence that the Greek culture exerted on the medieval Arab world.