Perceived association with Ottoman power tempered European contempt for moriscos

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. … Moriscos therefore sat in a liminal space between inferiority and superiority. While some of the ingredients of modern racism existed at this point, the religious idiom and the lack of outright inferiority leads me to call this protoracism. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 122

Categorization

• XREF: Great parallel to Aziz’s argument that Islamophobia heightens/lowers with perceived Muslim imperial power — a geopolitical-strength axis shaping racist intensity. — connects to: Association with Ottoman power gave moriscos grudging respect in Europe — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 122; Perceived Ottoman power positioned moriscos between inferiority and superiority; Moriscos’ liminal status shows Ottoman power blocked full European racism (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Perceived Ottoman power positioned moriscos between inferiority and superiority #expands (0.95)
• Moriscos’ liminal status shows Ottoman power blocked full European racism #expands (0.90)
• Powerful Muslim empires prevented Europeans from fully racializing moriscos as inferior #corroborates (0.85)