Aula Mediterrània

Understanding the Mediterranean in Turbulent Times

The Inter-university Programme Aula Mediterrània, now in its eleventh edition, is an initiative led by the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed) and made possible thanks to the collaboration of several Catalan universities. Its university network, enriched this year with four new master’s degrees, has established itself as the Mediterranean academic hub of reference in the promotion of research on the region in Catalonia.

Over the years, Aula Mediterrània has become a benchmark for its holistic approach and for bringing together different academic perspectives thanks to its interdisciplinary approach. The 2024-2025 edition reinforces its commitment to Euro-Mediterranean academic exchanges, with the presence of professors and researchers from Europe and the Mediterranean.

Entitled ‘Understanding the Mediterranean in Turbulent Times’, the 2024-2025 edition will offer a series of 26 lectures in which academics and thinkers will address relevant topics to understanding the social, political, economic and cultural environment of the region, to also reach a wider audience. In this respect, it will address current regional dynamics, including the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East region, the issue of migrations, inequalities, climate change, disinformation and the cultural and artistic realities in the Southern Mediterranean countries, among others. This year, the Series of Lectures will also include cross-cutting sessions that will introduce students to the professional environment of Mediterranean relations.

Aula Mediterrània and Aula Árabe Universitaria, an initiative promoted by Casa Árabe, are strengthening their collaboration and promoting the exchange of speakers between the two programmes, enriching the academic debates on fundamental issues related to the region.

Free entrance
Conference room, IEMed, carrer Girona, 20 – Barcelona (except for some lectures)

Attendance diploma
Those who attend 40% of the sessions (10 lectures) have the option to request an attendance and achievement diploma (Registration form)

 Download the full agenda (pdf)

MASTERS PARTICIPATING IN THE PROGRAMME

Master’s Degree in Contemporary Migrations, Rights and Social Cohesion, UAB/UB; IBEI Master’s Degrees; Master’s Degree in History and Identities in the Western Mediterranean (15th-19th Centuries), UB/UA/UV/Universitat Jaume I; Master’s Degree in Diplomacy and International Organizations, CEI/UB; Master’s Degree in International Relations, Security and Development, UAB; Master’s Degree in International Studies – International Organizations and Cooperation, UB; Master’s Degree in International Journalism, Blanquerna – URL; Master’s Degree in Advanced Studies in International Affairs, Blanquerna – URL; Master’s Degree in Logistic and International Trade, UAO – CEU; Master’s Degree in Construction and Representation of Cultural Identities, UB; Master’s Degree in World History, UPF; Master’s Degree in Migrations Studies, GRITIM-UPF; Master’s Degree in Advanced Studies in Architecture, ETSAB-UPC; Master’s Degree in Urban Anthropology, Migrations and Social Intervention, URV; University Master’s Degree in Migratory Movements in the 21st Century: Concepts, Reality and Actions, UdG; Master’s Degree in Contemporary Arabic Studies, UAB; Master’s Degree in Internationalization: Economic, Commercial, Legal and Political Aspects, UB.

 

CONFERENCES

Tuesday 15th October  –  International Migrations and the Construction of the Mediterranean

Monday 21st October   – Spatial Injustice by Design and Law in Marseille

Thursday 24th October – A Sea of Bulls: The Western Mediterranean and the “Curial Market” (1450-1750)

Monday 4th November – The World-Historical Significance of the War on Gaza

Thursday 14th November – Power, Conflicts and Riots in Spanish Sicily (16th-17th Centuries)

Thursday 21st November – Collective Memory, Migrations and Catalonia

Wednesday 4th December – A Transnational and Cultural Perspective of Trade Networks in (and from) the Western Mediterranean (17th Century)

Thursday 12th December – Two Shores, One Camera: The Mediterranean through the Filmmaker Eliane Raheb’s Eyes

Thursday 16th January – Palestine thorough Visual Arts: An Artistic First-Person Experience

Thursday 23rd January – Transformation of Urban Economies in the Mediterranean

Wednesday 29 th January – Challenges of Climate Change in the Arab World

Thursday 30th January – Posthumous Mobilities: The Deceased in the Context of Migration

Thursday 6th February – International Female Migrations and Human Rights in European Union Countries. Challenges and Contributions to Democratic Governance

Thursday 13th February – Disinformation in the Middle East Region

Thursday 13th March – Sectarianism, Geopolitics and Dis(Order) in the Shadow of October 7th?

Wednesday 19th March – Migration and Secularism: A Critical View of the Construction of Universal Liberal Values in the Europe of the Mediterranean Arc

Thursday 20th March – Women and Borders in the Mediterranean 

Tuesday 25th March – Energy and Climate Justice in the Arab Region 

Thursday 27th March – National Legal Framework for Migration and Asylum in Tunisia

Tuesday 1st April – Heritage Management and Urban Planning in North Africa

Thursday 3rd April – Albania, a Strategic Commercial Partner of the European Union

Thursday 24th April – The Words that Nourish Everyday Life: African Oral Manifestations in Europe

Thursday 8th May – Migration Diplomacy as a Three-Level Game in the Eastern Mediterranean: The Case of Greece and Turkey 

Thursday 15th May – Social Movements Dilemmas in Authoritarian Contexts: The Case of the Amazigh Movement in Morocco

Thursday 22nd May – Oil and Arab Civil War

Thursday 29th May – The Spanish Sahara: Revisiting the Early Years of the Western Sahara Conflict (1957-1975)


Knowledge and interdisciplinary academic research on Mediterranean issues

Aula Mediterrània is held since 2014 in coordination with more than a dozen master’s degree programmes from different universities that, in their syllabuses, teach content related to the Euro-Mediterranean region, and especially to the Middle East and North Africa. The aim of Aula Mediterrània is to support knowledge and research on Mediterranean issues and contribute to the internationalisation of local academia through the opportunity to mobilise experts, academics and actors who are relevant in the knowledge and study of the Mediterranean environment. Through this programme, they have the opportunity to network with universities around the world.

The programme has three pillars: a series of lectures, an academic seminar and the Aula Awards for the Best Master’s Degree Final Projects on Mediterranean issues. 

Since the 2020-2021 academic year, Aula Mediterrània has twinned with the newcomer Aula Árabe, promoted by Casa Árabe from 2019-2020, to expand the range of lectures and encourage exchange between participants in both programmes.

Organisers