From the Straits of Gibraltar to Sicily, the European northern
Mediterranean nations to the shores of North Africa, the western
Mediterranean is a unique cultural and sociopolitical entity which has
had a singular role in shaping today's global society. The Western
Mediterranean and the World is the fascinating story of the rise of
that peculiar world and of its evolution from the end of the Western
Roman Empire to the present. Uniquely, rather than present the history
of the region as a strict chronological progression, the author takes a
thematic approach, telling his story through a series of vignettes, case
studies, and original accounts so as to provide a more immediate sense
of what life in and around the Mediterranean was like from the end of
the Roman Empire in the West to the present immigration crisis now
unfolding in Mediterranean waters. Emphasizing the development of
religion and language and the enduring synergies and struggles between
Christian, Jews, and Muslims on both shores of the western sea, Dr. Ruiz
connects the region to the larger world and locates the development of
Mediterranean societies within a global context.
- Describes the move from religious and linguistic unity under Roman
rule to the fragmented cultural landscape of today
- Explores the relationship of language, culture, and geography,
focusing on the role of language formation and linguistic identity in
the emergence of national communities
- Traces the movements of peoples across regions and their encounters
with new geographical, cultural, and political realities
- Addresses the emergence of various political identities and how they
developed into set patterns of political organization
- Emphasizes the theme of encounters as seen from Christian, Muslim, and
Jewish perspectives
While it is sure to become a definitive text for university courses on
Mediterranean history, The Western Mediterranean and the World will
also have great appeal among scholars of the Mediterranean as well as
general readers of history.
Part of The Blackwell History of the World Series
The goal of this ambitious series is to provide an accessible source of
knowledge about the entire human past, for every curious person in every
part of the world. It will comprise some two dozen volumes, of which
some provide synoptic views of the history of particular regions while
others consider the world as a whole during a particular period of time.
The volumes are narrative in form, giving balanced attention to social
and cultural history (in the broadest sense) as well as to institutional
development and political change. Each provides a systematic account of
a very large subject, but they are also both imaginative and
interpretative. The Series is intended to be accessible to the widest
possible readership, and the accessibility of its volumes is matched by
the style of presentation and production.
