Association with Ottoman power gave moriscos grudging respect in Europe

Evidence

More generally, the view of moriscos if seen as inferior sat uneasily with attitudes toward the powerful Muslim kingdoms in North Africa and the Near East. The association of moriscos with the Ottomans cast them as agents of a powerful empire and therefore worthy of a grudging form of respect. In the sixteenth and early to mid-seventeenth centuries, the Ottomans were respected and even feared in various parts of Europe. Moriscos therefore sat in a liminal space between inferiority and superiority. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 122

Categorization

• XREF: Ties into the theme that racism against a group tracks that group’s perceived geopolitical power — resonates with claims about Islamophobia after 9/11 motivating, not just reflecting, US empire. — connects to: Perceived association with Ottoman power tempered European contempt for moriscos — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 122; Moriscos’ liminal status shows Ottoman power blocked full European racism; Perceived Ottoman power positioned moriscos between inferiority and superiority (+2 more)
• CANDY: Nice elevator fact: a group can be targeted and to some degree respected simultaneously because its kin-state is a feared great power.

Broader Connections

• Perceived association with Ottoman power tempered European contempt for moriscos #corroborates (0.95) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 122
• Perceived Ottoman power positioned moriscos between inferiority and superiority #expands (0.90)
• Powerful Muslim empires prevented Europeans from fully racializing moriscos as inferior #corroborates (0.85)
• Moriscos’ liminal status shows Ottoman power blocked full European racism #expands (0.80)
• Europeans recognized Ottomans as diplomatic equals, not colonial targets #corroborates (0.75)