Focus and Scope

The Journal of Mediterranean Knowledge (JMK) is a scientific journal aimed at opening a permanent platform for theoretical and empirical debate and reflection in the fields human, social and philosophical sciences studies.

More specifically, the purpose of JMK is that of providing a strategic forum for multi- and interdisciplinary dialogue from and about the Mediterranean region, which is thought-provoking and free from disciplinary boundaries. From the area of humanities and social sciences (history, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, communication, philology, history of art, etc.) to the economic-legal area (economy, law, information sciences, etc.), the  research results are expected to have an important impact on the political decisions, on the processes of training, change and development as well as on the integration of theories and paradigms. This will imply a deep analysis of the factors which may facilitate or hinder social change, and also the evaluation and comparison of data from different realities.

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European history and more than 60 years of integration have facilitated the dissemination of knowledge at many levels – local, national, regional and European. In all its forms and representations (cultural heritage, legacy of thought, traditions, values, languages), this knowledge is a crucial factor for collective memory, social processes, and also for territorial and human development, since they allow individuals to find their place in society and feel they are an active and integral part of it.

The present image of Europe, conveyed through education, represents it as a “product” of classical antiquity, coinciding with the West. This image, however, restricts the wide horizon of the Mediterranean culture and excludes all the Mediterranean world not coinciding with Western Europe, as mostly conveyed. 

Rethinking the present idea of Europe and of the Mediterranean today can entail the laying of foundations for a real and different European identity. This can’t disregard the knowledge and its circulation in all Mediterranean countries: knowledge, in fact, has a key role in co-building a sense of collective belonging and citizenship.

Knowledge and cultural values of the Mediterranean basin should represent strategic factors for overcoming the present European crisis and become a fruitful spur for the review of European policies. These should also provide a solid base for the protection and promotion of an effective cultural heritage, able to bring about a new future from the legacy of different cultures.

In this sense, JMK can be a place for generating ideas and proposals, able to understand the social complexity and the influence of the Mediterranean region. Southern Europe has determined and continues to determine many differences with the rest of the continent on various accounts. The European identity and its geographical and geopolitical configuration correspond not only to the institutional divisions, but to those complex divergences (religious, economical, political, linguistic) which, as a consequence, may lead to division, intolerance, antagonism, often within the same country’s borders. Therefore, the objective of JMK is, first of all, to become an analytical tool of the dynamics which produce this divergence and which transform differences into conflicts, overturning from the inside each opportunity of interchange, growth, construction and defence of knowledge. Secondly, the scope of JMK is that of building tools for the planning, management, evaluation and dissemination of knowledge and actions able to produce a positive impact on a non-exclusive and excluding perception of the identity of Europe and of the Mediterranean, as an integral and inalienable part.

The journal will also publish the research reports drawn by the International Centre for Studies and Research “Mediterranean Knowledge”, promoted by the University of Salerno and other European Universities, Research Centres and Institutes.

Journal Structure

Journal of Mediterranean Knowledge is articulated in the following sections:

• Themes and perspectives
• Comments and debates
• Reviews and reports

The section Themes and perspectives will contain original essays about topics and issues related to a keyword which is selected for each issue. The essays could be solicited (invited contributions) or chosen on the basis of appropriate calls for paper.

The section Comments and debates will contain results of studies on single experiences, which aim to make comparisons among different territorial areas on more or less specific sectors of tangible and intangible knowledge. The section will also include papers on “hot topics” inherent to current debate or translations and discussions of texts relevant to the aims and purposes of JMK.

The section Review and reports refers to the dissemination of news related to the disciplinary fields of JMK, both in the form of reviews of published texts (not only papers), and in the form of reports of conferences, congresses, workshops and national and international on-going research.

Publication Frequency: Bi-annual

Language: English