The Mediterranean basin was a multicultural region with great diversity of linguistic, religious, social, and ethnic groups. This dynamic social and cultural landscape encouraged extensive contact and exchange between different communities. This book seeks to explain what happened when different ethnic, social, linguistic, and religious groups came into contact with one another, especially in multinational trading settlements located throughout the area. What means did they use to mediate their interactions? How did each group construct distinct identities during interaction with others? What new identities emerged from these contacts? Professor Dimitriou brings together several lines of study that have recently emerged, particularly studies of ethnic, religious, and Mediterranean studies. She reveals new aspects of identity construction in the region by examining the Mediterranean as a whole, focusing not only on ethnic identity but also on other types of collective identities, such as political, linguistic, religious, and social.

Pages: 306, Dimensions: 17x17cm