Mediterranean Europe’s Islamic Past and Orientalism during the Nineteenth Century

Spain, Portugal, Italy, and France share a common historical experience: a period of Islamic presence during the Middle Ages. This volume examines how this Islamic past was studied, interpreted, represented, and mobilized during the 19th century, a time marked by the construction of nation-states and the expansion of colonial empires, particularly in the Maghreb.

Bringing together medievalists and 19th-century historians, the book offers, for the first time, a collection of contributions focused on these different regions of Mediterranean Europe. Whereas these four countries are usually studied separately, this volume proposes a joint, comparative, transnational, and connected approach. It explores the intersections of Orientalism, medievalism, and nation-building to shed light on the distinctive ways in which Mediterranean Europe has historically engaged with its domestic relationship to Islam.

This book will appeal to scholars and students interested in medieval history, 19th-century European history, the history of Orientalism, nationalism and nation-building, colonial studies, Mediterranean studies, Islamic history in Europe, historiography, and the cultural politics of memory and heritage.

Marie Bossaert is an associate professor in contemporary history at Clermont Auvergne University. Her research focuses on the social, cultural and political history of the Mediterranean during the 19th and early 20th century, especially on scholarly Orientalism. She co-edited the book L'orientalisme en train de se faire. Une enquête collective sur les études orientales dans l'Algérie coloniale (2024).

Annliese Nef is a professor in medieval history at the University Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. Her research focuses on the Medieval history of Maghreb and Sicily, and on the way it was written in the 19th century. Among her publications: Conquérir et gouverner la Sicile islamique XIe-XIIe siècle (2011) et Révolutions islamiques (2021).