The Western Mediterranean and the Global Middle Ages

CMRS-CEGS/AARHMS Symposium

As part of its thematic series of co-sponsored sessions this academic year on “Iberian History as Global History” at major international conferences, the American Academy of Research Historians of Medieval Spain (AARHMS) has partnered with UCLA’s CMRS Center for Early Global Studies (CEGS) to host this symposium on The Western Mediterranean and the Global Middle Ages.

This symposium explores the possibilities and complexities of conceptualizing the early history of the Western Mediterranean in a global framework, an endeavor that resonates deeply with the mission and research axes of CMRS CEGS and is fundamental to the research, teaching, and mentorship conducted by a wide array of departments and programs at UCLA and further afield.

Our participants will consider how the Global Middle Ages paradigm might inspire new inroads for exploring the interrelationship of variegated societies and cultures within the Mediterranean context. Pushing beyond geographical boundaries in this way and eschewing Eurocentrism implicitly destabilizes ingrained periodizations, such as medieval/early modern and premodernity/modernity.

What sorts of alternative spatial and temporal frameworks can enhance scholarly assessment of the intertwined histories of the individuals, groups, institutions, and political entities active within the Western Mediterranean and beyond? How can global, decentered approaches help scholars contend with or resist the deep-seated, largely Euro- or Christo-centric and often anachronistic and teleological historiographic legacies that have long influenced work on the Iberian Peninsula, Maghreb, and broader Mediterranean environment?

Featuring an assortment of emerging, mid-career, and senior scholars from the United States, Canada, Spain, Portugal, and the UK, this gathering will be an impactful, enriching experience for UCLA faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates as well as members of the general public.

Follow the link for more details >>

Register to attend in person Royce 314.

Register to attend online with Zoom.