Tales of Mediterranean Coexistence

Al-Andalus in Islamic Spain and the 19th Century Levant are often mentioned as legendary times and places of peaceful co-existence between different peoples and religions. But how much real social, cultural and economic interaction actually existed among Jews, Christians and Muslims? In what way was the Jewish experience distinctive from that of other faiths?

In this talk chaired by Professor Felipe Fernández-Armesto, two major historians of the region, Professor David Abulafia, author of the magisterial The Great Sea, and Dr. Philip Mansel, whose most recent book focused on The Levant, give us a whirlwind tour of Granada, Palermo, Smyrna, Beirut, Alexandria and Tel Aviv/Jaffa from the 15th Century to today and possibly even a glimpse into the future.

David Abulafia is Professor of Mediterranean History at Cambridge University and a fellow of Gonville and Caius. His widely acclaimed books include: The Two Italies, Frederic II, A Mediterranean Emporium and, most recently, The Great Sea: A Human History of the Mediterranean.

Philip Mansel is a historian whose areas of expertise comprehend revolutionary and post-revolutionary France, the Ottoman Empire and the Middle East. He is also co-founder of the Society for Court Studies. His latest work is entitled Levant: Splendour and Catastrophe on the Mediterranean.

Felipe Fernández-Armesto is a historian who resists specialisation. He has taught at Oxford and held Chairs at Queen Mary College, London and Tufts University. He joined the University of Notre Dame in 2009 and his most recent book is 1492: The Year our World Began.

Sponsored by the Webber & Hassan Families