PIMIC

PIMIC is a cooperative effort by a team that consists of medievalists specialising in Western, Byzantine and Islamic history that tackles a vital historical question: Why did the Christendom government and society develop certain processes of institutionalisation that did not characterise the Islamic world, considering that the early medieval situation might have suggested otherwise? PIMIC-ITN aims to find answers that stress the fact that even though the entire Mediterranean basin shared a classical legacy, institutions acquired distinctive configurations in different regions and periods. The comparative approach is at the heart of this project, and the multiplicity of areas considered and perspectives is essential in order to avoid misleading, simplistic binary oppositions (such as East/West, or Christendom/Islam). The training allows a geographical, chronological, and cultural comparison as well as a comparison of historiographical traditions. Private companies, intrigued by the novelty and the relevance of this topic, are helping PIMIC disseminate the results. PIMIC-ITN will train a new generation of researchers professionally equipped to bridge the divide between the humanities and social sciences and capable of adding a rigorously historical “new medieval” dimension to the contemporary pan-European and socio-cultural debates.