Imaginário social, propaganda e poder : a construção retórica do califado de Córdoba (século X)

Abstract

The following paper pursuits to examine the reign of the first umayyad caliph in alAndalus, ‘Abd al-Rahmãn III (929-961), in its original form of government. Starting on the analysis of the propaganda produced and disseminated specially in Cordoba, we intend to deal with the ideology behind the rhetoric construcion through which the new caliph legitimated his caliphal assumption over a diverse society – and the impacts of this symbolic articulation in both past and present imaginaries. In order to accomplish so, we have analyzed three of the main propaganda strategies which helped granting authority and increasing the power of the self-proclaimed caliph: his titles, the expansion of the alhama mosque of Cordoba and the construction of the palatine city Madīnat al-Zahrā. Later, we investigate the impacts of this propaganda on the current impressions over the period, specially of what relates to the historiographic construction of the cultural, economic, political and social splendor of Cordoba during the caliphate – and its emphasis in christian, jewish and muslim coexistance.