Mediterranean Fictions: On Debts, Crises, and the Ends of Europe

Sun-drenched, seductive, and timeless, the Mediterranean is an appealing location from which to ponder Europe’s debt to this cradle of western civilization. Recently, an economic debt crisis in Greece and the region stoked fears that a peaceful, unified Europe will come undone or else be rehabilitated. The word ‘crisis’ itself hinges on a making a crucial decision, often in marking the turning point of a disease. This course examines representations of this moment through literature, film, history—but also in anthropology, journalism, and art—and in relation to other twentieth-century Mediterranean texts that also anticipated seismic shifts on the continent.