Mediterranean History – Master of Arts
The international MA in Mediterranean History is a consecutive program that builds on the three-year BA in History at the University of Konstanz as well as on a Bachelor’s degree in a subject relevant for the Master’s Programme. As a research-oriented program in English, it provides a cross-epochal understanding of Mediterranean societies.
Explore the liquid continent! As a contact zone between Africa, Asia and Europe, the Mediterranean region was a laboratory of globalisation in which boundaries of trade, empires and settlement, religion, language and culture were constantly shifting. Today, the region is in the focus due to various crises and conflicts: war, migration and climate change. At the same time, it remains a popular holiday destination and is also considered a role model in terms of nutrition. Many of these phenomena – from eating and travelling to violence, flight and displacement – reach far back into the past and can therefore only be understood from a long-term perspective. The Middle East conflict, for example, does not only result from the transformation of Palestine in the 20th century, but also from the fact that Jerusalem is ‘holy’ to all three monotheistic religions. The phenomenon of tourism also originated in this region and can be traced back as a form of mobility to the early modern Grand Tour and the pilgrimages of the Middle Ages. At the same time, the Mediterranean region has been a hot spot and crucial subject of innovative historiography and cultural theory: from environmental history and post-colonialism to global history and ocean studies.
Against this background, the unique MA study program examines trans-Mediterranean dynamics and entanglements over a period of 3,000 years: from antiquity to the 21st century. It provides bachelor graduates in history and cultural studies with a cross-period knowledge of the history, cultures and languages of Mediterranean societies, which is equally important for academic careers and non-academic professions. You will acquire practical skills and regional expertise about a key region of the world, which are urgently needed not only in academia, but also by institutions, organisations and companies that are active in the Mediterranean and cooperate with partners in the region. In addition, it deepens knowledge about the countries of origin of Mediterranean immigrants and thus creates a basis for social cohesion: by understanding the Mediterranean region better, we also understand today’s Europe better!