Category Archives: Mediterranean World

France’s New Role in North Africa

Posted on August 30, 2011 by briansandberg

France has played a prominent diplomatic and military role in the revolutions and civil conflicts in the Arab world this year. President Sarkozy intervened early in the Libyan Civil War, supporting the rebel groups opposing Qaddafi in Libya. France has … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Conflict, Comparative Revolutions, French History, Mediterranean World | 1 Comment

Mediterraneans Abandon Diet

Posted on July 14, 2011 by briansandberg

For decades, nutritionists have celebrated the concept of the “Mediterranean Diet,” touted for its focus on vegetables, fish, and minimal meat. Historians and anthropologists have long considered the concept problematic, since actual diets vary widely across Mediterranean societies. Whatever the … Continue reading →

Posted in Food and Cuisine History, French History, Italian History, Mediterranean World | Leave a comment

France Arms Rebels in Libya

Posted on June 29, 2011 by briansandberg

The French government now admits that it is arming rebels in Libya in an overt attempt to oust Muammar el-Qaddafi. Col. Thierry Burkhard, a French military spokesperson, said that French forces “airdropped water, food and medical supplies” to Misurata and … Continue reading →

Posted in Arms Control, French History, Mediterranean World, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

The Killing Seas: Mediterranean Migration

Posted on May 29, 2011 by briansandberg

Anthropologist Hans Lucht discusses the precarious lives of modern-day Mediterranean migrants from Africa who embark in North Africa for Italy in an op-ed in the New York Times. Lucht points out that southern European nations have long worked with Qaddafi’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Conflict, French History, Human Rights, Italian History, Mediterranean World, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

Multiculturalism in Europe

Posted on May 6, 2011 by briansandberg

The protests and revolutions in the Arab world this spring have created increased political tensions in Europe over the status of Arabs and Muslims within the European Union. Debates over policies promoting multiculturalism in European nations were already contentious well … Continue reading →

Posted in European Union, French History, Globalization, Human Rights, Mediterranean World | Leave a comment

EU as the “Sick Man of Europe”

Posted on April 22, 2011 by briansandberg

Is the European Union the “sick man of Europe”? This formulation represents an intriguing twist on historical references to the Ottoman Empire as the “sick man of Europe.” Eurozine has published a series of articles entitled “Europe Talks to Europe” … Continue reading →

Posted in Empires and Imperialism, European History, European Union, Mediterranean World | Leave a comment

France Bans Niqab

Posted on April 11, 2011 by briansandberg

France is implementing a recent law banning the niqab, or full-face veil, in public spaces.  The French notion of laïcité, a version of secularism, is being used to justify outlawing the niqab, as well as to argue for banning other … Continue reading →

Posted in French History, Globalization, Human Rights, Mediterranean World, Religious Violence, Women and Gender History | Leave a comment

Nabil Matar Lecture

Posted on April 9, 2011 by briansandberg

Nabil Matar (Presidential Professor, Departments of English and History, the Religious Studies Program, University of Minnesota) “Henry Stubbe and the first use of Christian Arabic sources about Muhammad” Friday 15 April 2011, 4:00 pm Pick 016 University of Chicago Co-sponsored by … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Research, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, Empires and Imperialism, Globalization, Mediterranean World | Leave a comment

The New Mediterranean Geopolitics

Posted on April 8, 2011 by briansandberg

French military intervention in the Libyan civil war has prompted new thinking about French military policies and about international politics in the Mediterranean region. Le Monde published a debate between several experts on Mediterranean culture and politics, including the historian … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Conflict, Comparative Revolutions, Empires and Imperialism, French History, Mediterranean World, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment