The proposed MA will focus on the cultures of the Eastern Mediterranean basin throughout the modern and contemporary periods (16th-20th centuries).

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MA in Eastern Mediterranean Studies

Eastern Mediterranean has been for many centuries the place where all three monotheistic religions, Christianity, Judaism and Islam met, flourished, coexisted and fought each other. It is also the place where some of the most significant world political clashes took place, from imperial antagonisms to current turbulent Middle East politics.

The program studies the distinct character of this region in terms of the basic social, geographic, anthropological, historical and economic features. Is there really a distinct Mediterranean identity and what makes it both distinct and Mediterranean? Students attending and graduating from this programme will possess specific, in depth, knowledge on the basic economic, social, political, cultural characteristics of the Eastern Mediterranean region. More specifically, they will: study comparatively the major historical and political developments that determined the status of the region; be taught the Economic History of the Eastern Mediterranean in depth; introduced to the study of the Islamic civilization; study Ottoman history and Jewish history not as separate entities but their interaction; study in depth the interreligious and interethnic Relations; focus on eastern Mediterranean Arts and Culture and many more.

The programme aims at educating people interested in working in NGOs, media, public sector, academia, private sector in the region. As an interdisciplinary intensive programme, students will be required to develop specific competences, such as: team work; knowledge of the use of original historical sources and historiography; synthetic and analytical thought; academic excellence and advanced writing skills. Methods of learning include lectures, seminars, group work, oral and written presentations, independent and guided research and the use of visual sources, films and documentaries.

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The originality of the proposed MA lies therefore on three main areas:
a) The MA encompasses both the Balkan Peninsula and the Near East, two geographical areas that despite their long and close historical relations, are nowadays treated in the academia as two separate entities.
b) The MA approaches the three main religious groups inhabiting the area not as separate entities as is usually done in other programmes of area studies (i.e. Modern Greek Studies, Jewish Studies, Islamic Studies), but in their interaction. The theoretical focus of the MA will therefore be on comparisons, movements (of peoples, ideas and objects), and social and cultural relations between Christians, Jews and Muslims ranging from close cooperation to open conflict.
c) The MA spans chronologically throughout the modern and contemporary period. It therefore bridges the Ottoman and post-Ottoman periods, which are usually examined separately.

All courses will be taught by a Greek and international team of experts in the history and culture of the peoples of the Eastern Mediterranean from a variety of interrelated fields including history, linguistics, literature, sociology, theology, political sciences and international relations