Dr. Alexandra Montero Peters

Biography

Alexandra Montero Peters is a historian specializing in medieval Mediterranean history, with a focus on intellectual exchange in Iberia, North Africa, and the Near East. Her research centers on Arabic and Castilian manuscripts, exploring how textual, visual, and intellectual traditions traversed confessional, cultural, and racial boundaries. Montero Peters is currently working on a book project titled 'Representations of Power: Alfonso X, Book Games, and Islamic Tradition', which conducts a close study of the themes richly illuminated in the titular manuscript produced at the court of Alfonso X of Castile during his reign from 1252 to 1284. The project investigates the esoteric knowledge enshrined in the Book Games, which is heavily indebted to Islamic traditions, prompting myriad questions about why a Christian king would invest untold resources into a work that celebrates the intellectual and courtly achievements of the Islamic world. Her research argues that Muslim-Christian exchanges were central to the authority of Mediterranean rulers like Alfonso X, and that these exchanges shaped local political narratives that were intelligible to nearby Muslim potentates. Additionally, she is involved in forthcoming publications on race and racecraft in the Middle Ages, drawing from folios of medieval Arabic geographies and vernacular histories. Montero Peters has received support from various institutions, including the American Association of University Women and the Medieval Academy of America. Before joining Northwestern University, she taught at Texas State University and Bowdoin College.

Research Interests

Experience