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Mediterranean Connections – How the Sea Links People and Transforms Identities

Session 7 of the International Open Workshop: Socio-Environmental Dynamics VI (organized by the Graduate School “Human Development in Landscapes” and the Collaborative Research Centre 1266 “Scales of Transformation”)

11-16 March 2019 – Kiel University, Germany
Session organizers: A. Rutter, E. Loitzou, O. Nakoinz, F. Fulminante, L. Schmidt, D. Möhlmann, L. Käppel, H. Klinkott

Long-term research interest in the Mediterranean has produced a substantial body of data and concepts that make it a fascinating testing ground for new approaches on identity, alterity, and connectivity. For the inhabitants of the Mediterranean, the sea evidently influenced their lives and their thinking in a significant way. (Pre-)history, philology, and archaeology alike can trace the emergence of ancient perceptions of distance and connections as well as the movement of material, people, and ideas. Researchers of these professions have long been irritated by a tendency to define political or cultural entities spatially. The identification of collective identities as networked spheres of interest, however, allows us to progress towards an understanding of processes within the Mediterranean as a dynamic area of common cultures and conflicts. Shared mental maps and networks thus help to understand the collapse of powers, systems, and identities, the emergence of new ones, and the role of possibly persisting parts of a network in such processes.

With contributors from all disciplines dealing with connections, networks, and mental maps, whether they be archaeology, (pre-)history, philology, geography, and sociology, and also the natural sciences, we would like to discuss the following:

  • how the contact area of the Mediterranean influences the (self-)representation of peoples and individuals as well as the formation of identity and alterity
  • what role Mediterranean connections play in cultural, political, and ideological developments
  • how ancient writers and artists form and use Mediterranean connections
  • analyses of the emergence and transformations of connections within the Ancient Mediterranean
  • the conditions under which the physical environment determines the presence or absence of connections
  • how the concept of network layers contributes to an understanding of past events around the Mediterranean seascape
  • new theories and interpretations concerning the role of power, conflicts, and different communities that can be connected to the network approach
  • network modelling between simulations and empirical observations

We particularly invite contributions from a wide range of regions to include as many perspectives as possible from around the Mediterranean World.

Each presentation may last max. 15 minutes (another 5 min. are planned for discussion after each presentation). Abstracts can be submitted until November 15, 2018. Acceptance notifications will be sent in December 2018. To submit an abstract and register, please use the following link: http://www.workshop-gshdl.uni-kiel.de/registration/

For general information about the workshop: http://www.workshop-gshdl.uni-kiel.de/

Contact: Laura Schmidt (lschmidt@email.uni-kiel.de)

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(Photo: "Handwritten" by A. Birkan, licensed under CC BY 2.0)