Face to Face, Side by Side: Between Europe and the Mediterranean

Abstract

Should the Mediterranean be seen as “face‐to‐face” (i.e. confrontational) or “side‐by‐side” (i.e. fraternal)? How this question has been answered has had far‐reaching effects both in the human sciences and in terms of actual social relations—and the former has had massive implications on the latter through its influencing of policy‐makers, politicians, the media, and thus public opinion. This article attempts to look at two interrelated processes: the historiography of looking at the Mediterranean, and actual political discourse and practice, within the overall context of actual social interactions across the region. It begins by examining two paradigms in looking at the Mediterranean: The Paradigm of Discord, and the Paradigm of Utopias of Harmony. The article then examines alternative paradigms—those of Utopias of Harmony tracing their evolution from nineteenth‐century Saint‐Simonians to Albert Camus. It then attempts to show that both approaches suffer from grievous flaws. The article concludes by seeking inspiration from Raymond Aron’s characterization of different types of peace. The peace that is being pursued by the European Union can be seen as a “Hegemonic Peace” and this is problematical. Finally it explores two different hypothetical scenarios for future relations in the Mediterranean.

Keywords:

• Cosmopolitanism and Multiculturalism
• Cultural Effects of Migration and the Media
• Geo‐culturalism
• Hegemonic Peace
• Mediterranean Paradigms

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Thierry Fabre

Thierry Fabre is an essayist, author, and a specialist on Mediterranean Culture. He is the Principal Editor of the journal La pensée de midi, Convenor of the Rencontres d’Averroès (Marseille), and Coordinator of various EU‐funded programmes on the Mediterranean at the Maison Méditerranéenne des Sciences de l’Homme, the University of Aix.