Youssef El Alaoui

Youssef El Alaoui serves as a Lecturer in the Department of Romance Studies at the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences, University of Rouen Normandy. As a permanent member of ERIAC (Research Unit 4705), he contributes to this interdisciplinary research center focused on Spanish and Latin American cultures, histories, and literatures. His academic work examines historical interactions between Christian and Muslim communities in early modern Spain and its colonies, with particular focus on religious minorities and conversion processes.

• Doctor in Civilization of Spanish Golden Age and Colonial America, University of Rouen (1998)

Dr. El Alaoui's research explores policies of evangelization and assimilation of religious minorities in 16th-17th century Spain and America, with special attention to the Morisco population (Muslims forcibly converted to Christianity). His scholarship investigates methods of evangelization by the Society of Jesus among Moriscos and indigenous populations, anti-Muslim controversies in early modern Spain, and the complex identity negotiations of religious minorities. He examines how religious, cultural, and political boundaries were constructed, maintained, and crossed during this period of intense religious transformation, particularly focusing on the role of Moriscos in relations between Christian Spain and Muslim communities.

His recent publications demonstrate consistent focus on Morisco studies with increasing comparative approaches between different religious minorities within the Spanish Empire. His work shows methodological evolution from purely historical analysis toward interdisciplinary approaches incorporating religious studies, cultural history, and postcolonial theory. Key themes across his publications include religious conversion strategies, identity formation among religious minorities, representation of 'the Other' in early modern religious polemics, and comparative analysis of evangelization methods across different cultural contexts.

• Prize for the best Hispanic master's thesis defended in France awarded by the Société des Hispanistes Français (SHF) in 1994

Dr. El Alaoui actively participates in multiple research projects including the COST ACTION CA18129 'Islamic Legacy' project, the IMPI project ('Antes del orientalismo'), and the European Research Group 'Minorías en la España Medieval y Moderna.' He serves as co-director of the ERIAC electronic journal 'Travaux et Documents Hispaniques' (TDH) and is a member of the editorial board of eHumanistas/Conversos journal. His teaching encompasses Civilization of Spanish Golden Age and Colonial America, Civilization of Contemporary Spain, and Methodology of University Work across undergraduate and graduate levels.

Within ERIAC, Dr. El Alaoui participates in the FIBIA-BMR project for virtual library development focusing on Iberian and Italian ancient collections of the Rouen Municipal Library. He has organized numerous seminars and study days on religious minorities, identity formation, and cultural exchanges in early modern Iberia and its colonies, demonstrating sustained engagement with both historical scholarship and contemporary methodological approaches to religious diversity studies.