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 conventional 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.

Aims:

 

• To encourage understanding of cultural interaction and creation in the multi-confessional Medieval Mediterranean.
• To encourage interdisciplinary research and teaching that crosses and challenges national and ecumenical divisions.
• To give college and university professors and highly-qualified graduate students the opportunity to study and to work collaboratively under leading scholars in a range of fields. 
• To give participants the opportunity to use the archives, libraries and facilities available in Barcelona.

About the Institute:

• Organized by the University of California's innovative Mediterranean Seminar
• Our second NEH Summer Insitute on Mediterranean Studies to be held in Barcelona (click here to see about the first one)
• We will be convening in the 15th-century Viceroy's Palace in the heart of the Old City (see facilities).
• Once again, our faculty includes some of the most creative and exciting scholars in the field (see faculty).
• Includes a varied program of presentations, seminars, collaborative and technical workshops (including an introduction to the archives), field trips, aprés-Institute, and plenty of time for independent reading and research (see program).
• Participants from our 2008 seminar were enthusiastic in their praise of the Institute experience

Important Dates:

March 2, 2010 –Application Deadline

April 1, 2010 – Announcement of Awards

April 15, 2010 – Deadline for Acceptance

April 21, 2010 – Deadline for Acceptance (Stand-by Candidates)

April 28, 2010 – Accommodation Confirmation

July 4, 2010 – Institute Begins

July 31, 2010 – Institute Concludes

 

Important: Generally, US citizens who wish to stay in Spain for tourist or business purposes for up to 90 days do not need a visa. They should travel with a round trip air ticket and a passport valid for a minimum of six months. To confirm this, and for visa information for foreign visitors to Spain, click here.

Disclaimer: Information provided on this site and the documents linked to it is provisional and subject to change without notice at the organizers’ discretion.  Neither the NEH, UCSC, nor the Mediterranean Seminar take responsibility for the content of external internet sites.