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Mediterranean insularities and ‘miniature continents’: Space, landscape and agriculture in early modern Cyprus and Crete

Obiettivo

Contributing to the growing field of spatial history, MEDINS enquires into the correlations between insular space and the development of economic structures in early modern Cyprus and Crete. In doing so, it will collect, process and analyse data revealing the patterns of agricultural production of two quintessential ‘miniature continents’ of the eastern Mediterranean in the seventeenth century.

A recently-invigorated interest in the Mediterranean has contributed towards a better conceptualisation of the ‘great sea’ as a social, economic and cultural realm both for the purposes of scientific inquiry, and understanding the historical trajectory of contemporary phenomena. In this context, the study of insularity is an important analytical tool in Mediterranean studies. One of the emerging issues is the need to differentiate the meanings of insularity with reference to space and the size of islands as factors affecting their productive capacities and economic structures. Utilising the Braudelian concept of ‘miniature continents’ as its starting point, the project focuses on Cyprus and Crete in an initial attempt to articulate a typology of insular space.

In reconstructing the agricultural landscape and cultivation in the two islands, the project will be based on the analysis of taxation and land registers from the Ottoman period. The collected data will be processed with the use of cartographic databases and digital mapping tools (G.I.S) in order to visually represent and analyse the movement, contraction, or proliferation of different crops at different points in time. The project provides the researcher with the opportunity of moving to a leading institution in its field, where he will be trained in new methods and skills, gain valuable experiences, expand his research networks, and enhance his career potential. It further aspires to engage with the media, educators, and the public at large.

Invito a presentare proposte

FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IEF
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Coordinatore

IDRYMA TECHNOLOGIAS KAI EREVNAS
Contributo UE
€ 161 968,80
Indirizzo
N PLASTIRA STR 100
70013 Irakleio
Grecia

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Regione
Νησιά Αιγαίου Κρήτη Ηράκλειο
Tipo di attività
Research Organisations
Contatto amministrativo
Zinovia Papatheodorou (Ms.)
Collegamenti
Costo totale
Nessun dato