MEDITERRANEAN STUDIES ASSOCIATION

NEWSLETTER, #1 (November 2007)

Dear Colleagues and Members of the MSA,

With every passing year the endeavors of the MSA grow increasingly diverse, particularly in the arena of international education. Consequently, we have decided to update you with periodic newsletters to keep you informed of the Association’s activities. We hope you find these newsletters helpful and we welcome your comments. The Association is active in three broad areas:

1. The annual International Congress,
2. The publication of Mediterranean Studies, and
3. The fostering of programs in international education.

Benjamin F. Taggie, Executive Director

I. The Annual International Congress

2007 International Congress in Évora

Évora proved to be a wonderful venue in which to celebrate the 10th Anniversary Congress. The warmth and generosity of the host institution and faculty enhanced the natural beauty of the town. We give special thanks to the Congress President, José Alberto Simões Gomes Machado and to the Onsite Congress Coordinator, Fernanda Olival. Nearly 200 papers were presented in Évora by scholars representing 26 different countries, testimony to the increasing international diversity of the MSA and the annual Congress.

2008 International Congress, Lüneburg, Germany , May 28-31, 2008

Preparations are well underway for the 2008 Congress to be held at the Leuphana University Lüneburg, Germany. Congress President Stefan Schaltegger is currently working on the final details for the Congress and we can tell you that this congress will be extraordinary for the level of hospitality and scholarship. Hotel and registration information is available on the website: http://www.mediterraneanstudies.org. We have created a splendid Post-Congress Tour that features Leipzig, Dresden and Berlin. The “Call for Papers” has gone out and is available on the web site. Rick Clement and Geraldo de Sousa will continue to serve as Chairmen of the Program Committee. All proposals should be submitted via the web site or to Rick at Rclement@ku.edu. Louise Boudreau will again be the Congress Coordinator. Any questions regarding matters not related to the program should be direct to Louise at Lboudreau@umassd.edu or to me at Btaggie@umassd.edup>.

 

2009 International Congress, Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy

We have received an invitation from Prof. Pasquale Mistretta, the Rector of the Università di Cagliari, in Sardinia. We are working with Dr. Luciano Gallinari of the Istituto di Storia dell'Europa mediterranea del CNR and Università di Cagliari faculty members Prof. Olivetta Schena and Prof. Gianni Murgia to finalize details for the Congress. We hope to have the final commitment of the university by the end of December. Cagliari looks to be an ideal site for the Congress and a site all MSA members will enjoy visiting.

2010 Congress and Beyond

Corfu, Greece

We have received a preliminary invitation from the Ionian University in Corfu, Greece to host the 2010 Congress. We are working with Dr. Vaios Vaiopoulos of the Department of History and plan to make a site visit to the University this spring to examine the feasibility of Corfu as a venue for the 2010 Congress.

 

Chios, Greece

The University of the Aegean in Chios has also expressed interest in hosting the 2010 Congress. We are working with Dr. Gerassimos Pagratis of the University of Athens and Prof. Nikitas Nikitakos, Head of the Department of Shipping, Trade and Transport in the University of the Aegean. We hope to visit Chios this spring as well.

Salamanca, Spain

Angel Felices Lago, President of the 2001 Congress at the University Granada, is working with his colleagues at the University of Salamanca to investigate hosting the 2010 or 2011 Congress.

We welcome your recommendation for future venues for MSA Congresses. Please be sure and include the name of a contact person at the local university.

II. MSA Publications

The MSA editorial office is hosted by the University of Kansas and staffed by Rick Clement, Geraldo de Sousa (editor of Mediterranean Studies), and Brian Harries (Editorial Assistant). In addition to concentrating on Mediterranean Studies, we have edited and helped publish several monographs over the past few years. If you have book projects that could use our formatting, design, and/or publishing expertise, please contact Rick Clement.

Mediterranean Studies

The interdisciplinary study of Mediterranean ideas and cultures has developed in the last two decades into a scholarly “hotspot.” The MSA sponsors the annual journal Mediterranean Studies, now in its 16th volume, and all members receive a subscription to it. Recognized as the premier publication in its field, the journal, published by Manchester University Press, is an international, multi-disciplinary, double-blind peer-reviewed journal, concerned with the ideas and ideals of Mediterranean cultures from Late Antiquity to the Enlightenment and their influence beyond these geographical and temporal boundaries.  The journal publishes articles in the fields of history, art history, architecture, literature, theater, music, performing arts, political science, cultural studies, and philosophy. Manchester University Press is the third largest academic press in the United Kingdom , with worldwide distribution and marketing power. The journal is indexed in Historical Abstracts, the MLA International Bibliography, and Medievo Latino, widely known as the best and most comprehensive annual bibliography of medieval studies. All members of the Association are encouraged to submit appropriate articles, written in English, of 18-40 pages in length, excluding a reasonable number of notes, for consideration for publication in the journal. All submissions should be sent to Geraldo de Sousa: Sousa@ku.edu and Sousa@sunflower.com

Sale of Back Stock

Purchase Back Issues of Mediterranean Studies (1-13)

Each volume is available for $25 + shipping costs (about $4.00 domestic).

You may purchase these volumes from Amazon.com using a credit card, or directly from MSA using a check. If you choose to purchase directly from MSA, please contact Richard Clement, rclement@mediterraneanstudies.org. Regardless of how you order, all copies are shipped from our Editorial Office.

To view volume contents CLICK HERE

To help you find our volumes on Amazon, please click on the ISBN/ASIN provided below or use it as your search term. This will take you directly to the volume you want. Note that the descriptions for some of these volumes in Amazon are not entirely accurate as they were entered by someone else. Even if it says that Vol. 8 is from 2001, it is actually from 1999. We are unable to edit most of these descriptions in Amazon.

Vol. 1 (1989) – 0754600521
Vol. 2 (1990) – 0940474131
Vol. 3 (1992) – 0943549140
Vol. 4 (1994) – B000MG4WAQ
Vol. 5 (1995) – B000WEG9Y0
Vol. 6 (1996) – B000WEO776
Vol. 7 (1998) – B000T9VSUS
Vol. 8 (1999) – 0754601552
Vol. 9 (2000) – 0754605205
Vol. 10 (2001) – 0754607682
Vol. 11 (2002) – B000WL6WQS
Vol. 12 (2003) – 0754633748
Vol. 13 (2004) – B000WL6XVW

III. MSA International Education Programs

In addition to the Annual Congress and publication of the MSA Journal, Mediterranean Studies, the MSA has been very busy in international education since 2002.

Nocciano Institute for the Arts and Culture

Many of you were present at the Budapest Congress in May 2002 when the MSA was awarded the stella de oro from the European Parliament and Robert Schuman Foundation, and the use of a renovated 12th Century castle in Nocciano, Italy . During my first visit to Nocciano in June 2002, I learned from the town leaders that the goal was to have the MSA utilize the castle to bring young people to Nocciano. The result was the Nocciano Institute for the Arts and Culture. Under the able stewardship of Anthony Miraglia of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, the Institute has completed its 5th successful year of operation. The Institute serves a high school population (with a small number of college students) that spends 16 days in Nocciano to study painting, theatre, or dance (the plan is to add additional workshops such as music and dance in the future). Students may take a workshop for the experience or do additional work and receive 3 hours of college credit. All students are housed with local families. The website is: http://www.mediterraneanstudies.net/

Summer Program in Sicily

For the past seven years the MSA has been offering a month long program (June) in cooperation with the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in Messina, Sicily. Students receive 6 college credits from such disciplines as history, art history, anthropology and painting. Various MSA members such as Rebecca Leuchek (Art History) of Roger Williams and Elizabeth Mathias (Anthropology) of St. John’s University have taught in the program. The website is: http://www.umassd.edu/pce/sicily/welcome.cfm

University of Évora Portuguese Language and Culture Program

Commencing in June, 2008 the MSA will offer in cooperation with the University of Évora a month long program in the Portuguese Language and Culture. We anticipate a small pilot program of no more than 12-15 students next summer but the goal is to increase the program in future years to include semester long programs.

  Please note the MSA has a new toll-free phone number (877) 979-8687.