Prof. Rachel Goshgarian: Mirroring the Other? Approaches to Understanding Diversity in the Medieval Middle East

Race and Ethnicity in History Series

This is the third of five lectures by History Department faculty on the theme of "Race and Ethnicity in History." The series is cosponsored by the Dean of Intercultural Development and the Africana Studies Program.

Oftentimes, we think of terms like “diversity” and “multiculturalism” as modern concepts.  However, the late medieval Mediterranean world struggled with these ideas on various shores and in various contexts.  It is only recently, however, that contemporary scholarship (particularly in Italy, Spain, Turkey and the US) has shown an interest in engaging with the ways in which difference and diversity were conceived in the medieval period.