Mediterranean Crossroads

"This book offers samples of the literary and cultural production of an innovative group of new Italian-language writers whose autobiographical texts focus on exploring their identities as immigrants in a Western country. This anthology contributes to the ongoing discussions on exile, diaspora, and migration by documenting the unique Italian case."--BOOK JACKET.

Music and Encounter at the Mediterranean Crossroads: A Sea of Voices explores the musical practices that circulate the Mediterranean Sea. Collectively, the authors relate this musical flow to broader transnational flows of people and power that generate complex encounters, bringing the diverse cultures of Europe, Africa, and the Middle East into new and challenging forms of contact. Individually, the chapters offer detailed ethnographic and historiographic studies of music’s multifaceted roles in such interactions. From collaborations between Moroccan migrant and Spanish Muslim convert musicians in Granada, to the incorporation of West African sonorities and Hasidic melodies in the musical liturgy of Abu Ghosh Abbey, Jerusalem, these communities sing, play, dance, listen, and record their diverse experiences of encounter at the Mediterranean crossroads.

Examining Marseille as a significant center for the evolution of architectural and urban modernism.

First published in 2003. The Mediterranean region, which includes Turkey, the Middle East, and North Africa, along with Italy, Greece, Spain and other European countries, encompasses a plethora of diverse but also interconnected cultures. The musical styles are just as diverse. Mediterranean Mosaic weaves together issues of music contemporary geopolitics and identity struggles. Acknowledging the region's historical legacy, it examines the ebb and flow of traditional musics within the region as well as outside influences on these traditions. Topics covered include: Klapa singing and Cha Wave from Croatia, the pop group Alibina, Pop-Rai from Algeria, and jazz in the Mediterranean. Also includes 20 musical examples.

This book contains the thirty papers delivered at the International Archaeological Conference in Athens, 10-13 May 2005. These papers are selected essays from the conference which was organised within the framework of the project Crossings: Movements of People and Movement of Cultures - Changes in the Mediterranean from Ancient to Modern Times , a project that had been initiated by the Pierides Foundation. All contributors to this volume discuss various issues of Mediterranean archaeology along two broad thematic sessions: The first one was devoted to recent advances in theory and in fieldwork that had significantly contributed to our understanding of key themes in Mediterranean archaeology. Scholars contributed papers related to issues such as the movement of people and the circulation of objects and ideas throughout the Mediterranean during prehistory and history. Specific areas of interest covered cultural diffusion and indigenous development, local identity and regional processes, population movement, object biographies, trade and gift exchange, islandscapes vs. landscapes, travel and transport technologies, and colonisation. The second general theme broadened the conference discussion through an interdisciplinary debate concerning the sociopolitical implications of the 'postmodern' agenda in the present and the impact of this agenda on the study of the Mediterranean past. The sessions related to this theme addressed contemporary concerns with the cultural heritage of the Mediterranean as a source of social identities and common heritage. Issues concerning the use (and abuse) of the Mediterranean past and identity in the present, the politics of the Mediterranean past, and perceptions of how the region's heritage is or should be perceived were central to this section. The subject matter of the volume covers long time span from the Neolithic to contemporary times. The volume embraces the Eastern, Central and Western basins of the Mediterranean.

This volume brings together papers presented at the 7th Annual International Conference co-organised by Florence University of the Arts, Italy, and Stony Brook University (SUNY), USA. The contributors explored the many connections that define the Mediterranean Sea as a symbol of tradition and modernity, and examined it as a region capable of congregating, synergizing and transforming cultures. Their writings focus on the relationship between the cultural, social, and historical environment of Mare Nostrum to pinpoint the elements defining its identity. Hence, particular emphasis is placed on the role and relevance of the Mediterranean as the first beacon of multi-ethnicity which may be seen as a symbol of diversity and unity, as well as a model that holds clues to understanding the global merging of cultures. As such, it is a real shame to see that the general interest in this unique and fascinating area has arisen not thanks to such highly positive features, but because, as Pope Francis says, it has become an open-air cemetery where thousands of people keep drowning. The multifaceted approach to this topic has resulted in the book being divided into four sections, covering the following thematic areas: Literature, History, Culture, and Identity.

Examining Marseille as a significant center for the evolution of architectural and urban modernism.

Anyone approaching the archaeology of Cyprus for the first time cannot fail to be intimidated by the wealth of information available, not only relating to the island of Cyprus itself, but also to other polities with which it interacted from an early period.