ABSTRACT
Alhambra as an index of Iberia’s history unveils recurrent responses to cultural exclusion, since its geographical condition made it an ideal ‘place of refuge’. This condition stimulated some consonance between different legacies of exclusion, imbued with resonant connotations. In many ways, living as a refugee engenders a particular mindset. Furthermore, an enduring state of exclusion may generate a unique cycle of reaction: exclusion begets resentment, which in turn arouses aspirations of redemption, usually under the guidance of a superhuman saviour; sometimes accumulated resentment triggers a tempestuous ascent of power that eventually provokes the exclusion of other peoples. It is a vicious cycle that few times in history humanity has been able to arrest. This unfortunate cycle has its own heritage. Only through careful examination – especially of its paths of transmission – may we contain its negative influence. The medium of evaluation is sensible historical consciousness, one that uses a critical outlook, creatively.
