International Center of Mediterranean Studies

The International Center of Mediterranean Studies was recently established by the Sant’Anna Institute in Sorrento, Italy. The Center is an intellectual laboratory for shared research among scholars of Mediterranean-related disciplines.

The main scope of the Center is to study the Mediterranean region in a multiplicity of approaches, in order to cast light on the peculiar characteristics of this area, mainly seen a land of translation.

The Center is not intended for scholars only. It also organizes credit-earning courses for college students who feel the need to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary for the construction of a dialogue among cultures. Acting like a hub among various academic and non-academic institutions , the Center provides students with a curriculum articulated in different didactic focuses: humanities, social sciences, and business studies

Director: Cristiana Panicco
Coordinator: Marco Marino

Members of the Scientific Board

Domenico Palumbo, Sant'Anna Institute
Cristina Perrissinotto, University of Ottawa 
Bernardo Picichè, Virginia Commonwealth University
Giovanni Spani, College of the Holy Cross

The board is responsible for the maintenance of the institutional network, decides the guidelines of activities, coordinates research, and enhances the following initiatives of the Center:


- Promoting international collaboration among academic research projects directed toward the study of the Mediterranean in its problematic aspects and opportunities
- Activating semester programs in Sorrento for graduate and undergraduate students, who want to learn about archaeology, business, Western civilization, Mediterranean history & culture (including Faculty-led programs)
- Organizing seminars and conferences on socio-cultural, political, and juridical matters connected to the Mediterranean area
- Providing logistical support on-site to PhD students for the elaboration of their final dissertations
- Publishing a on-line peer-review journal of Mediterranean Studies

For more information about next Spring's Mediterranean Semester in Sorrento for undergraduate students please visit http://www.santannainstitute.com/en/mediterranean-spring-semester.php

• The Mediterranean as a land of material culture and ancient traditions → focus on the concepts of material culture, traditional knowledge, anthropology, philosophy, women history
• The Mediterranean as a land of “translation:” course of cultural analysis → focus on the concepts of identity, migration, integration, resilience, the idea of foreigners, of neighbor, and of complex society.
• The Mediterranean as a land in-the-middle-of-lands: course of geo-political analysis → Europe and the Mediterranean, Arab countries, Israel and Palestine, socio-economic dynamics, law and human rights
• The Mediterranean as a land of heritage and preservation: course of historic-archeologic analysis → classic archaeology, the Roman Empire, the Maritime Republics, Caliphate, as well as Greek Byzantine, Western Europe and the Middle East societies; protection of cultural heritage