FIRST CALL FOR PAPERS
Mediterranean Crossroads Conference (MCC):
New trends in the study of the Mediterranean and its history
at the onset of the 21st century

10-13 May 2005, Athens, Greece

The Conference is organized as the second act of the project “Crossings: Movements of peoples and movement of cultures: changes in the Mediterranean from ancient to modern times”. The project is supported by the Culture 2000 Programme of the European Commission, the Ministry of Education and Culture-Cyprus, the Bank of Cyprus and the Cyprus Tourism Organisation

The Pierides Foundation-Cyprus is the Leader of the Project and the Foundation of the Hellenic World-Greece, the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage-Malta, the Institute for the Technologies Applied to Cultural Heritage- National Council for Researches-Italy and the University of Amiens-France are the Co-Organisers.

When Fernard Braudel wrote his pioneering book on the history of the Mediterranean region, the study of large-scale entities (spatial and temporal) constituted a theme of central importance for all scientific disciplines, especially the humanities. At the time, social sciences operated under the rubric of what is broadly known as the "modernist" paradigm, which professed to have developed effective criteria for clearly defining units of analysis and for explaining the historical trajectory of these units. A cardinal element of this intellectual tradition has been the firm belief that the units established by science were not only epistemologically but also ontologically valid. In Braudel's case for instance, "environment", "institutions" and "individuals" were "real" and not "fictive" classificatory distinctions. Of pivotal significance on the other hand, has been the acknowledgement that the writing of "history" had greater analytical potential in so far as it could prioritize large-scale over small-scale units; it is for this reason precisely that Braudel's core concept of the "long durée" involved the meticulous diachronic study of "institutions" and the "environment" but to a lesser extent, of "individuals".

Over the past few decades however, this mode of thinking has been put under severe scrutiny and in certain respects, has been heavily criticized. At the same time, the birth of a new paradigm -that of "postmodernism"- has lead to a shift of attention from the "general" to the "particular". The reasons for this paradigmatic shift are to be traced in contemporary concerns on (i) the conscious neglect of social diversity in social studies, (ii) the empowerment of the "whole" and the simultaneous "disempowerment" of the "individual", (iii) the tendency to attribute an obvious surplus of analytical weight on "global" as opposed to "local" processes, (iv) the great emphasis laid on the reconstruction of a single "history" and the denial of the possibility that multiple "histories" are actually at work and (v) the belief that so far, all aforementioned trends were seen as an achievement and guarantee of scientific "objectivity" and "truth". At the onset of the 21st century, the "postmodern" paradigm has taken an entirely different trajectory. Its main aim has been to create an arena of scientific discourse which:

1. encourages epistemological and ontological multivocality instead of absolutist/monolithic narratives

2. sees boundaries as the product of social negotiation and practical performance and not as predetermined, arbitrary constructs

3. and finally, chooses to emphasize movement and fluidity (in our ways of thinking and in our ways of living) as opposed to stasis.

In the light of all these developments, the idea of a "Mediterranean History" such as the one envisaged by Braudel, appears to require some degree of modification; indeed, for some scholars, it would even necessitate the abandonment of the term altogether. The "Mediterranean Crossroads Conference: New trends in the study of the Mediterranean and its history at the onset of the 21st century" embarks on the investigation of this very issue: how has the "postmodern" paradigm affected our understanding of the Mediterranean past and to what extent should we allow the further penetration of its principles (diversity, fluidity, mobility) to the practice of Mediterranean archaeology?

For the purposes of this conference, two broad thematic sessions have been established. The first one examines recent advances in theory and in fieldwork which have significantly altered and/or ransformed our understanding of key themes in Mediterranean archaeology. Scholars are invited to contribute papers pertinent to issues such as the movement of people and the circulation of objects and ideas in the Mediterranean during Prehistory and History (i.e. cultural diffusion and indigenous development, local identity and global process, actor-network theory, world-systems theory, time-geography, population movement, object biographies, trade and gift exchange, islandscapes vs. landscapes, travel and transport technologies, colonisation, colonies vs. empires). The second session broadens the conference themes and adopts an interdisciplinary debate concerning the sociopolitical implications of the "postmodern" agenda in the present and the impact of this agenda on the study of the Mediterranean past. The session addresses contemporary concerns with the cultural heritage of the Mediterranean as a source of social identities and a common heritage of humankind. Issues concerning the use (and abuse) of the Mediterranean past and identity in the present (heritage management, arts, education, media, the well-being of cultural heritage, tourism and the politics of the past) will also constitute an integral part of this section.

The aim of this conference is to bring together researchers working on different aspects of the Mediterranean region (past and present) and to encourage the sharing and examination of a wide spectrum of themes and problems. Moreover, it will provide an excellent opportunity for interdisciplinary collaboration and will hopefully help to forge and identify new methodologies for dealing with the now widely acknowledged complexity of Mediterranean history.

The conference will take place in Athens, 10-13 May 2005. All sessions will be held in the large Conference Complex of "ATHINAIS", a modern cultural centre in the historic district of Votanikos in Athens, Greece (www.athinais.com.gr). Thirty-five speakers from several Mediterranean countries (France, Italy, Malta, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Spain, Portugal, Israel and Egypt) as well as Northwestern Europe (United Kingdom, Germany and Netherlands), USA, Canada and Australia will take part in the conference. Presentations will be 20 minutes in length and will be followed by additional time for discussion. The proceedings of the Conference will be published.

Scholars interested in participating should notify the organizers (preferably by email) with a title and abstract (maximum 500 words), as well as scholarly affiliation, address, fax number and email address by Friday, 3 December, 2004.

Conference fees: 60 Euros employed  /  30 Euros, students

Abstracts should be sent to all three addresses below:

Sophia Antoniadou
Pierides Museum of Ancient Cypriot Art,
34-36 Kastorias Str., 104 47,
Athens, Greece
Email: pierides@athinais.com.gr
Telephone Nr: 0030-210-3480000

Ánthony Pace
The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage
138, Melita Str
Valetta
VLT08, Malta
Email: anthony.pace@gov.mt
Telephone Nr: 0035621251874

Despina Catapoti
Pierides Museum of Ancient Cypriot Art
34-36 Kastorias Str., 104 47,
Athens, Greece.
Email: pierides1@athinais.com.gr
Telephone Nr: 0030-210-3480000

For more information about the conference, please contact Sophia Antoniadou or Despina Catapoti 

... seen on various lists

::Saturday, October 30, 2004 8:35:31 AM::