The cycle “Belonging in/to the Mediterranean”, of Iméra’s Mediterreanean research programme, delves into the diverse dimensions of individual and collective belonging within and to the Mediterranean, as well as those of non-belonging.
Copyright: Marie-Pierre Ulloa, Iméra.
Examining the concept of belonging
In 2024, we examined this concept through affective, anthropological, cultural, emotional, historical, legal, ontological, religious, social, and geopolitical lenses. Researchers exploring the Mediterranean are placing growing emphasis on the idea of belonging, examining how a sense of place and identity has reshaped the history of the region over time.
In contrast, the recent surge in migration across the Mediterranean has prompted a critical reevaluation of traditional geographical notions, giving rise to new forms of belonging and territorial hybrid identity that have emerged from the experience of displacement but also shedding light on the Mediterranean, the sea connecting shores, as a “non-place” in the sense defined by anthropologist Marc Augé (1935-2023) and as a place of temporary belonging offshore or in transit in the port-cities.
Exploring belonging in greater depth through the arts, social sciences and humanities
In 2025, we aim to continue to explore these belonging narratives through the lenses of the arts, the social sciences and the humanities. This includes perspectives from archeology, architecture, geography, history, gender studies, sociology, literature, cultural heritage studies, as well as critical ocean studies, film studies, urban studies, environmental humanities, human rights and migration studies.
Additionally, we seek to examine how the stories we’ve been told about the Mediterranean in different settings and temporalities have shaped our perceptions of these places and their rich and diverse cultures, in colonial and post-independence encounters and with decolonial perspectives.
This inquiry is particularly pressing as issues such as the rise of populism, of migration and mass tourism, the search for sustainable ways to travel, evolving notions of spatial planning and social justice, environmental narratives past and present, continue to shape the dynamics of Mediterranean belonging now in the age of ArtificiaI Intelligence.
Current publication has also shed light on how environmental, urban, rural, maritime and spatial connections can both unite and divide communities throughout the Mediterranean. This exploration is especially relevant in an era profoundly influenced by wars, conflicts and political instability, and by climate change and global warming as these factors exacerbate existing tensions and shift priorities. By examining these dynamics, we aim to deepen our understanding of how belonging is socially constructed, legally and politically contested in this complex region, whether at the level of individual identities or collective belongings.
January 11th, 2025 – Collective session
‘Mediterranean studies: what, when, why and how?’
June 5th & 6th – Workshop as part of Sami Everett’s senior fellowship at Iméra, co-organised with Jessica Marglin (USC)
“Cultures of Belonging: Jews in the Modern Mediterranean”
Scholars of the modern Mediterranean are particularly concerned with questions of belonging. These questions are a particularly urgent question for scholars of Jews. The rise of nationalism, new discourses of equality, modern antisemitism and other forms of racism, European imperialism, and decolonization all posed– and continue to pose– urgent challenges to the nature of Jewish belonging. The marginalization or inclusion of Jews was often a test case for broader questions about the nature of modern societies, states, and identities. We propose to shine light on these questions of belonging through the lens of culture and materialities. A Cultural and material lens can provide powerful images and stories that bring to the fore diachronic trends of marginalization in synchronic snapshots. They allow us to explore ascriptive and self-ascriptive forms of belonging as well as of marginalization. They also offer excellent case studies of how Jews and others pushed back against these trends.
The workshop will bring together anthropological and historical perspectives on architecture, cinema, music, museum, fashion, sports, law, and humanitarian endeavors. These milieux all served as alternatives to societies that increasingly harnessed nationalist forms of belonging; they provided spaces in which Jewish artists, athletes, directors, doctors, and pop stars could thrive– because of and despite their marginalization. Bringing together an interdisciplinary group of scholars working on different aspects of the cultural world of Jews in the modern Mediterranean will help counter simplistic narratives about the region. Instead, we propose to explore the layered complexity of how Jews did and did not belong across multiple spheres.