Where voluntary and forced migrations intersect. Merchants and slaves between Christian and Islamic lands in 15th century Crown of Aragon (original) (raw)

Migrants : communautés, frontières, mémoires et conflits

The 2016 SeSaMO conference, held on 17-19 March, 2016 in Catania, puts the spotlight on migration meant as a general phenomenon that has affected Muslim-majority societies across history and can be approached from different disciplinary perspectives. Scholars are invited to present panels and papers dealing with the conference theme from different perspectives. Interdisciplinary proposals are welcome as well as proposals focusing on distinct areas of interest in the field of Middle Eastern studies. With the aim of encouraging scientific interaction with the international scholarly community, the conference will host keynote speakers who will lecture on topics of interest for the Society and who will have the opportunity to listen to paper presentations. Working languages will be Italian, English and French.

Mitchell, P.D., Millard, A.R. (2007) Migration in the crusades to the medieval Middle East. British Academy Review 10: 24-5.

British Academy Review, 2007

This study aims to identify first generation European immigrants among populations of the crusader kingdom of Jerusalem and, in some cases, determine which part of Europe or the Middle East each individual spent their childhood. Dental samples from three crusader sites and soil samples from five crusader sites were analysed. Here we demonstrate how archaeological techniques can identify the huge journeys undertaken by crusaders, pilgrims and merchants in the medieval period. No longer can we presume that those who died in a city necessarily lived there long term. Stable isotope analysis may identify that they originated from long distances away, and may just be passing through. There is great potential for further research based on the findings we have from this project.