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This volume presents a set of contributions on a fundamental and rarely studied subject related to the social and economic history of displacement in the Mediterranean from the Middle Ages to the early twentieth century. The book explores the methods through which individuals, groups, and communities facilitated the transfer of money, commodities, and people within, across and beyond the Mediterranean.
At the core of this narrative are the historical figures who have significantly influenced and reshaped mobility in and around this region. Merchants, diasporic communities, and various institutions that have relocated, either temporarily or permanently, to different parts of the Mediterranean countries, its neighboring areas, or their colonies, play a central role in this story. Motivated by commercial requirements, religious convictions, or societal duties, many redirected resources from their host societies back to their families and original communities, aiming to mitigate the social, economic, and ethical repercussions of their displacement.
The current historical discourse has paid considerable attention to the movement of material wealth, particularly concerning merchants and seafarers. Nevertheless, the exchange of material assets and the transfer of people, whether free or enslaved, inside different groups remains less understood. The majority of individuals who departed their native communities along the Mediterranean coastline sought economic prospects, social mobility, and sanctuary from religious and political persecution.
Yet, few lost touch with their families and communities back home, recognizing their reliance on the financial support necessary for their survival. Remittances sent by various migrant groups often resulted in the sustenance and enhancement of life quality for family members, community groups, and religious institutions over great distances. Although remittances became a common practice among the numerous itinerant groups navigating the Mediterranean, the process presented significant challenges for individuals and families.
Sending money home often necessitated a level of success from those who had left their community of origin. While many did achieve success in their new environments, others struggled to reach the social and economic progress they had anticipated upon leaving. Consequently, the pressure to prosper was immense, and as with many migrant groups throughout history, it became a source of stress and familial discord.
Simultaneously, achieving success in a host society can present a conundrum: whether to invest social and economic capital in forging new alliances and fortifying local connections, or to provide support to extended families and communities back home. Different groups navigated this dilemma in varied ways. Rather than sending material funds, which were crucial for cementing their status in the new society, many families opted to bring over brides from their original communities to their new homes or between various destinations within the Mediterranean and further afield.
Similarly, bequests made after death or for religious reasons played a pivotal role in maintaining a sense of emotional and communal closeness among these diverse, and by the second generation, transnational communities. Considering the general lack of historical discourse on the transfer of assets between migrant families and their places of origin within the Mediterranean context over time, as well as the effects of these transfers on host societies and communities affected by displacement, we anticipate that this volume will be received with enthusiasm by a wide-ranging community of scholars with interests in Mediterranean, transnational, diaspora, and migration studies.