Al-Andalus becomes a deterritorialized space of memory in which the notions of past cultural and intellectual excellence are used as a legitimisation for the contemporary aspirations of new societies, such as those of the United Arab Emirates. Andalusian texts and figures, such as the Lament for the Fall of Seville by Abu’l-Baqa’ al-Rundi or the legendary “aviator” Abbas Ibn Firnas are being digitalised in new interpretations made accessible on the Internet and reinvented in the consumerist culture. The memory of Al-Andalus forms a basis for a non-Western formulation of new universalism, fostering, at the same time, the necessity of reintroducing the term into the discourse of the contemporary humanities.
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