Anthony Minnema

Anthony Minnema is an Associate Professor of History at Samford University, where he teaches in the Howard College of Arts and Sciences. Specializing in premodern European and Islamic history, his work focuses on the complex social and cultural relations between Christians and Muslims, particularly in medieval Spain and Portugal. Before joining Samford, he was a Lilly Postdoctoral Fellow at Valparaiso University, where he taught in Christ College.

Dr. Minnema received his PhD in History from the University of Tennessee and completed his undergraduate studies at Calvin University. A native Californian, he brings his expertise in medieval Mediterranean history to courses on the Crusades, early Islamic civilization, and world history.

Minnema's research explores how Muslim and Christian communities interacted, collaborated, and competed in medieval Iberia. His work examines political legitimacy among Muslim dynasties, particularly the Banu Hud who were exiled from Zaragoza, and how they maintained power through strategic alliances across religious boundaries. He also investigates the transmission of Arabic knowledge into Latin Europe, studying how philosophical and scientific works were translated, received, and integrated into medieval European intellectual life.

His scholarly output reveals a consistent focus on how religious boundaries were negotiated in political, administrative, and intellectual contexts. Minnema's work demonstrates that despite religious differences, medieval societies developed sophisticated mechanisms for cooperation and knowledge exchange that often transcended confessional lines.

Among his notable recognitions is the Lilly Postdoctoral Fellowship, and his research has been supported by prestigious organizations including the Mellon Foundation, Southern Historical Association, Warburg Institute, and the American Academy of Research Historians of Medieval Spain.

Minnema serves as an academic advisor and has contributed to scholarly communities through editorial work, including co-editing a special issue of Medieval Encounters. His commitment to interdisciplinary scholarship bridges history, religious studies, and translation studies, offering fresh perspectives on medieval Mediterranean societies.