Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florence, Max-Planck-Institute supported
by The Getty Foundation - Summer School - May 9-17, 2010 -
Interactions in the Mediterranean Basin: The Case of Late Classical,
Aghlabid and Fatimid Tunisia (Tunis/Mahdiyya/Qayrawan)

The art of Ifriqiya is one of the most fascinating areas of medieval
Islam. It presents visually the process by which Roman, Late Antique,
and Byzantine cultures were integrated to create a new aesthetic
language for a region under a muslim rulership and demonstrates
innovative methods of shaping holy spaces in early medieval Islam, be it
Sunni (Qayrawan) or Shiite-Fatimid (Mahdiyya). The city of Qayrawan,
with its mosques, is one of the most holy places in Islam after Mecca,
Medina, and Jerusalem, and Mahdiyya is the first official city build by
the Fatimid dynasty. By shifting the direction of the scholarly gaze to
this specific space which is located in the heart of the Mediterranean
basin, the Summer School in Tunisia will consider the art, architecture
and urbanism of Ifriqiya and its relationships to neighboring cultures
in a different and broader light. The proximity between Africa and
Europe in this particular geographical space; the active medieval naval
trade routes linking Ifriqiya to South Italy, Sicily, Al-Andalus and to
the eastern ports of the Mediterranean Sea; the land routes of the
sub-Saharan trade that cross this region; the constant links with other
Muslim centers like Abassid Misr (Egypt), Baghdad, Samarra, Mecca and
Medina; and the interactions, in peaceful or violent times, involving
the movements of people, ideas and artifacts, made it a symbiotic region
of land and water with cities which became for a certain period centers
of the medieval world. Studying the art and architecture of Ifriqiya
through a magnifying glass, from this particular perspective and within
Ifriqiya's "global" Mediterranean context will contribute to the
understanding of the emergence of a new multi-facetted, aesthetic and
visual language in the medieval Mediterranean sphere.
A specific emphasis will be given to innovative military architecture
(ribat and Qal`a) and the interaction of its aesthetic language with
palatial and religious architecture. Moreover, the colonial
historiographies of Tunisia and the construction of Tunisi's
visual-cultural narrative will be considered critically, especially
through study of the history of museums and the display of
archaeological objects.

The Summer school is part of the research program "Art, Space and
Mobility in the Early History of Globalization. The Mediterranean,
Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent 400-1650" directed by Gerhard
Wolf, Hannah Baader and Avinoam Shalem, KHI Florence with the Getty
Foundation. It welcomes students and younger scholars working in Art
History, Islamic, Asian or Byzantine Art or in Archeology, including
graduate students, doctoral candidates and scholars who are embarking on
post-doctoral research. The number of participants is restricted. Each
participant is expected to contribute to the success of the course not
only by presenting a paper but also by actively participating in
discussions, which will be held in English. Accommodation and travel
costs will be covered. Applications should include a letter of interest,
a curriculum vitae and a letter of recommendation. Graduate students not
yet involved in dissertation research should attach a summary of their
course work. For pre- and post-doctoral applicants, a brief summary of
their research project (250-300 words) is requested. Topic suggestions
will be provided but all participants are encouraged to include their
own proposal (250-300 words), which we will try to include in the
program.

Applications should be sent to
Prof. Dr. Gerhard Wolf,
Director, Kunsthistorisches Institut - Max-Planck-Institut
Via Giuseppe
Giusti 44
I-50121 Firenze, Italy
before January 30th.

The envelope should be marked with "Summer school 2010", applications
by e-mail are also welcome to the address: dirwolfkhi.fi.it.
Notifications of acceptance will be sent by February 15th.