This Happened in My Presence is a good introduction not only to the fate of the Moriscos, but also to the history of the Spanish Inquisition.
Alastair Hamilton, Journal of Ecclesiastical History Patrick O'Banion has set a high standard for collections of translated documents. The book is clearly geared towards undergraduates. It would be a valuable resource ... Read moreto anyone teaching early modern Spanish or European history, and is a must for any course on the Inquisition.
Carolyn Salomons, Bulletin for Spanish and Portuguese Historical Studies This book makes a fascinating collection of records accessible to a wide audience. It also succeeds as a device for reflecting upon and learning about the work done by historians - collecting, transcribing, translating, organizing, questioning, representing, curating - and invites readers to participate in the analysis of those historical records.
Renaissance Quarterly, Vol. 71, No. 2
O'Banion translates and edits documents from the town of Deza within the jurisdiction of the Inquisition of Cuenca...[He] includes a cogent introduction, a cast of characters, maps, figures and accompanying `focus questions.' The volume will work easily for a history course on the Inquisition, Spain or using primary sources.
Journal of Early Modern History 22
This Happened in My Presence will acquaint students with a diverse set of everyday people from four centuries ago, set them to work like detectives, inform them about Muslim customs, and give them a sense of cultural interactions in a small town at a time when neighbors held excessive power over one another. They will face the hard issues historians face when assessing accusations, denunciations, denials, and confessions in a context of coercion, and see at close hand a run-up to ethno-religious cleansing.
William A. Christian Jr., Catholic Historical Review The sources in this volume are important not only for courses on early modern Spain or inquisitorial history, but also for courses that focus on various aspects of early modern life and thought. The documents illuminate the minutiae of daily life, offer insight into how gender, religion, and social class affected relationships in early modern Deza, and elucidate the differences between Christian and Muslim religious observance in theory and in practice. This Happened in My Presence is both accessible and informative and provides students with an important set of sources and helpful guidance to facilitate their interpretation.
Christina Moss, Renaissance and Reformation Show Less