This extensive bibliographic essay underpins the entire Tarragona Vortex study by focusing on this arena as one of the most contested frontiers in Western history, comparable to Jerusalem in the East, for broad issues of Romanization, Westernization, Islamization, and Christianization. Its book length chapters treat (1) diverse historiographies from local and Spanish to comparative Mediterranean and Crusade History, and especially Ethno-historiography and the explanatory concept of frontiers; (2) the phenomena of religion conversion and reform, and the conditioning agents of Islam and Latin Christianity in practice and adversity; (3) religious universalism and violence, especially religious war; (4) the Crusade and Reconquest paradigms and century-long debate; (5) the environment on land and sea, and setting for this History. Although these themes are explored to include due reconsideration but avoid major digressions in its telling about Tarragona and the Tarraconensis, they underly so much of Late-Antique and Medieval historical research that this discussion pertains to the whole field of historical, cultural, and religious studies.



by Lawrence J. McCrank



CHAPTER 1. Medieval Realities and Modern Historiography Prolegomena: Retrospection in the New Millennium and Metahistory 1. Grand Themes and Historiographic Problems 2. The Concept of the Frontier: Trans-cultural Ethno-historiography 3. Traditional and Revisionist Historiographies 4. Sources: Founts and Lacunae 5. A New Synthesis: The Master Narrative Revisited CHAPTER 2. Religious Experience in History and Beyond Prolegomena: Driving Forces. Conviction, Compliance, Identity and Devotion 1. Religious Conversion: Psychology, Behavior, and Identity 2. Reform Ideology and Renewal: Historical Restoration Theology 3. Conditioning Agents: Immanence, Alterity and Transcendence 4. Religious Fervor: Empowerment and Dedication CHAPTER 3. Religions at War: Universalism, Rivalry, and Violence Prolegomena: The Crux of the Matter -- Religions Do Not War People Do 1. Religion and Historical Agency in War and Peace 2. The Islamic Modality: Motivation, Conditioning, and Mobilization 3. The Force of Islam to be Reckoned: Friend or Foe? 4. An Arsenal of Faith: Christianity's Counterforce 5. Just War Apologetics: Forethought and Regret Afterward 6. After-Thoughts about Religions in World War CHAPTER 4. Reconquest and Crusade: Evolving Complexity and Confused Paradigms Prolegomena: A Needless Polemic: Reconquest or Crusade -- or Both? 1. Historiographic Debates: Old Questions and Continuing Battles 2. Reconquest Historiography and the Crusades: Peninsular Perspectives 3. Framework Revision for Reconsideration of the Western Theater 4. Crusade Themes Extrapolated for Reconsideration in a New History 5. The Tarragonan Crucible: The Admixture of All-the-Above CHAPTER 5. History in its Environment: People on Land and Sea Prolegomena: Spatial Comprehension and Sense of Place 1. The Iberian Peninsula: Perspectives from a Sub-Continent 2. In the Middle of all Lands: The Mediterranean Basin 3. New and Old Together: Human Geography and Political Mapping 4. New Towns in Old Places: Late-Antique and Medieval Frontiers 5. Changing Landscapes: Geographic Determinism and Human Will List of Illustrations