Rolf Petri: The 'Mediterranean World:' European Power Politics and the Geographical Mind, 1571–1973, Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter Brill, 2026, ISBN 978-3-11-914348-6 FORTHCOMING
The expression
“Mediterranean World” refers to a geographical division supposedly distinguished
from all others by its unique characteristics. By taking a long-term
perspective, the book traces the gradual emergence, from the late sixteenth
century onward, of ideas that imbued the Mediterranean Sea with meanings that referred to something other
than just a sea. These ideas
crystallised into a distinct concept of Mediterranean-ness during and after
the Napoleonic era, when it was harnessed in the service of European power
politics. The book explores how its subsequent iterations served
colonial and neo-colonial interests, right up to the Cold War, when Western
hegemony in the region passed from Europe to the United States. Although
grounded in the history of ideas and concepts, the text weaves its analysis
into a comprehensive narrative, making it accessible to non-specialist readers
and suitable for use as a history textbook in International Relations and related fields.
