NEH Summer Institute for College and University
Professors
June 30–July 25, 2008 • Barcelona (Spain)
Projects
Praise for the Program
Collaborating & Supporting Institutions
In traditional accounts, the Middle Ages are typically defined as a rupture entailing the loss of the cultures of classical antiquity, destined to remain dormant until their “rebirth” in the Renaissance. This Summer Institute will stimulate a rethinking of the history of the Middle Ages (1000–1500) through the optic of the Mediterranean. As a region whose history of connectivity can be documented over two and a half millennia, the Mediterranean has in recent years become the focus of renewed interest in a number of disciplines. Compared to more traditional histories of Western Civilization, these approaches shift focus from the study of discrete entities—political states (typically those of northwestern Europe), ethnic or religious groups, cultural traditions—to a study of their interconnectedness and interaction. The program will emphasize patterns of exchange and circulation (of people, goods, and ideas), with special attention to questions of religious and ethnic pluralisms, cultural contact, commerce, hybridity, transculturation, and the negotiation of identities. This conceptual and thematic shift is an important step in reassessing the role of medieval Europe in the emergence of the modern world, with which we aim to inform both scholarly research and post-secondary teaching
This program brought together 24 professors from American universities and colleges for an intensive four-week Institute at the 16th-century Viceroy's palace in the heart of Barcelona's medieval city. Eight distinguished faculty members from a range of discilpines presented lectures and led seminars, which were supplemented by presentations by leading Spansih scholars, archivists and curators. Over the month of July participants had the opportunity to collaborate, to pursue the individual projects which they had proposed to undertake, to reconsider their own work in light of the Mediterranean, and to debate and discuss the nature of Mediterranean history.
It was a program which was made possible by the direct support of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and by the generous support of over a dozen corporate, governmental, cultural and educational institutions, in the US and Spain.
The Institute was a great success; both participants and faculty characterized the experience as stimulating, transformative and a great deal of fun. A volume combining faculty and participant essays is in the works, and plans are being laid for a second Summer Institute to be held in July 2010.
"This was one of the most intellectually stimulating experiences I have had since graduate school. Professors Catlos and Kinoshita organized an innovative and important Institute and assembled a group of exceptionally strong scholars, both the discussion leaders and the 24 participants, creating a vibrant and cogent program that both stimulated my research and will change the way Ieach the European Middle Ages."
"The excellent and remarkable variety of methodology and disciplines that Catlos and Kinoshita gathered together in Barcelona has, I am happy to say, changed the way I view my own scholarship and teaching... The Institute is the single most beneficial academic experience I have ever had. I only wish I had applied for one earlier in my career."
"This was an extremely satisfying and stimulating experience. It allowed me to expand my knowledge of the historical background pertaining to medieval Europe and its place in the wider world of the Mediterranean... I expect that the widening of knowledge and horizons brought by my participation in this institute will help me frame my future research on intellectual history, and link it to other developments, in technology, politics, and art. I also anticipate that this will have an important impact on my teaching, and I am already thinking of a number of courses directly inspired by the lectures and discussions to which I have participated this summer."
"As a non-specialist in Mediterranean studies, this was a great opportunity for me to acquire a better understanding of the state of the field and meet a terrific group of both younger and older scholars and learn about their work and teaching techniques. It was an important experience for me and I anticipate that my teaching will be greatly improved as a result."
"The assembly of senior and junior scholars on such a broad topic was impressive. A number of encounters either through lectures or conversation will deeply effect my publications on Muslim-Christian relations and on my teaching. In particular questions regarding Byzantine-Arab relations and the spread of Islamic thechnology helped rethink my interests from a new perspective; these topics will soon be incorporated into my senior honors seminar."
"Overall it was fantastic; I will be thinking about what I learned in Barcelona for a very long time."
"Overall, the institute was transformative for me. I feel like whole new intellectual vistas have opened up for me -- my conception of the middle ages has widened historically, geographically and disciplinarily. I particularly enjoyed the cross-disciplinary conversation with my colleagues at the institute and look forward to keeping in touch with them."
"The summer seminar was one of the most powerful experiences I have had as a scholar since graduate school. The difference here though proved to be even richer, in that I was able to explore common concerns with those outside of my discipline."
"The institute was well planned with a good balance of site visits, lectures and discussion sessions, and personal research time. It was valuable to interact with colleagues from diverse backgrounds and discover how our work could be mutually enriching when the Mediterranean context was taken into greater consideration. This experience will definitely enable me to more confidently explore and critique certain issues, and it has introduced important additional sources available in Barcelona into my emerging scholarly work."
*all comments taken from the anonymous participant survey administered by the NEH
Collaborating & Supporting Institutions
National Endowment for the Humanities
Institute for Humanities Research (UCSC)
Center for Cultural Studies (UCSC)
Institut Europeu de la Mediterrànea (Spain)
Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Spain)
Ministerio de Cultura (Spain)
Arxiu de la Corona d'Aragó (Spain)
Institució Milà i Fontanals/ Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (Spain)
Faculty of Philology, Universitat de Barcelona (Spain)
Museu Marítim/ Reial Drassanes de Barcelona (Spain)
Patronat Municipal "Call de Girona" (Spain)
Museu d'Art de Girona (Spain)
The Rough Guides (USA & UK)