Mediterranean Passages - by Miriam Cooke & Erdag Göknar & Grant Parker (Paperback)

About the Book

Mediterranean Passages: Readings from Dido to Derrida

Book Synopsis

The Mediterranean is the meeting point of three continents -- Asia, Africa, and Europe -- as well as three major monotheistic religions -- Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. Focusing on global networks and cultural exchanges, Mediterranean Passages collects writings from across 3,000 years to provide a pan-Mediterranean perspective of the cultural, political, and economic relations that crisscross the region, linking people and places from antiquity to the present.

From Homer's hymn to Apollo to the writing of French-Algerian philosopher Jacques Derrida, from the contemporary accounts of North African Berber conqueror Tariq ibn al-Yazid to the journalism of American I. F. Stone, this chronologically organized anthology juxtaposes the voices and experiences of travelers, exiles, and colonizers who have lived in or visited the Mediterranean region since before 1200 B.C.E. Literary and historical texts and a gallery of maps, architecture, photographs, and paintings provide glimpses of travel and migration, trade routes, military conquest, and cultural exchange. Together, these selections highlight the networks of connections, intersections, and interruptions that animate a vital and contested geographical space.

Review Quotes

"A rich collection of texts and images based on the premise that the great sea has been the center for the emergence of our three monotheisms and for the history of the area throughout the ages. . . . Rewarding, casual reading of high quality, and it is of particular interest to travelers." -- Jewish Book World

"The selections have obviously been made with some care and empathy. . . . Will undoubtedly be of much use to both the teacher and the student in courses dealing with the many aspects of the Mediterranean Sea." -- Scholia

About the Author

miriam cooke is professor of Arabic literature and culture at Duke University. Erdag Göknar is assistant professor of Turkish studies at Duke University. Grant Parker is assistant professor of classics at Stanford University.