On October 26-27, the University of Michigan Global Islamic Studies Center (GISC) hosted the conference Margins of the Mediterranean. The conference gathered nearly 40 experts to discuss how the Mediterranean is defined by its margins. This conference studied boundaries and transit zones in order to think about the connections between Mediterranean and continental networks of trade and transit.

On the first day of the conference, participants workshopped papers by Jesse Howell (Harvard University), Lindsey A. Mazurek (University of Oregon), and Martino Lovato (Mt. Holyoke College). It also featured the keynote address “Art, Apocalypse, and Empire: Mediterranean Histories and Geographies between Chaos and Codification” by Persis Berlekamp (University of Chicago). The second day of the conference included roundtables, panel discussions, and a book signing for the book An Armenian Mediterranean, edited by Kathryn Babayan and Michael Pifer.

GISC was pleased to have a number of co-sponsors for the conference. They were: Armenian Studies Program; Center for European Studies; Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies; College of Literature, Science, and the Arts; Department of Anthropology; Department of Classical Studies; Department of Comparative Literature; Department of History; Department of History of Art; Department of Middle East Studies; Department of Romance Languages & Literatures; Frankel Center for Judaic Studies; Institute for the Humanities; and U-M Office of Research.

Contact: Hana Mattar | T: 734.615.9558 | E: IslamicStudies@umich.edu

The Global Islamic Studies Center (GISC) serves students, faculty, and the extramural community by promoting the understanding of global Islamic culture and Muslim societies worldwide, through pioneering research, innovative instruction, and a commitment to building partnerships on campus and beyond. A member of the International Institute, GISC mobilizes U-M's outstanding faculty to contribute to instruction, research, and public affairs programming at the University of Michigan. For more information, visit ii.umich.edu/islamicstudies.