Call for Papers
Reframing Sino-Western Contacts within the Mediterranean Sea
Provisional Title
The MeTChE (The Mediterranean Through Chinese Eyes) research project is preparing its second edited volume, provisionally entitled Reframing Sino-Western Contacts within the Mediterranean Sea. Scholars and early-career researchers working in relevant fields are invited to consider contributing to the volume.
The proposed volume seeks to re-examine contacts between China and the Mediterranean from historical and transcultural perspectives. Particular attention will be given to the application of concepts and methods developed within Mediterranean Studies to the analysis of Chinese historical sources, as well as to the ways in which the Mediterranean was understood, represented, and reframed in Chinese writings from different historical periods.
Proposed Structure
The volume is currently planned in three sections.
Section 1: Theoretical and Methodological Foundations
The first section will present the theoretical and methodological foundations of the MeTChE project. It will illustrate how concepts developed within Mediterranean Studies can be productively applied to the analysis of Chinese historical sources.
The section will also consider the value of Mediterranean Studies, Maritime Studies, geography, and cartography for interdisciplinary research. Contributions may have a theoretical or methodological focus and may also include relevant case studies.
Section 2: The Mediterranean in Chinese Geographical Knowledge
The second section will examine the construction of the Mediterranean in Chinese geographical knowledge from antiquity to the nineteenth century. Particular attention will be paid to the roles of Arab, Persian, European, and missionary intermediaries.
Relevant questions include:
- how the Mediterranean was perceived and represented in Chinese historical sources;
- how foreign geographical knowledge entered China and was translated or adapted for Chinese readers;
- how Jesuits introduced European geographical knowledge to Chinese audiences;
- how the Mediterranean was represented in Jesuit geographical sources.
Contributions on Jesuit geography, with particular reference to the Mediterranean, are especially welcome. Such studies may focus on specific sources or cases, but broader or panoramic contributions will also be considered.
Section 3: New Observations in the Late Qing and Republican Periods
The third section will focus on the late Qing and Republican periods. It will investigate how materials based on first-hand observation, including travel diaries and diplomatic writings, reshaped inherited geographical knowledge during China’s engagement with global modernity.
Submission Information
- Eligible contributors: scholars, doctoral researchers, and other early-career researchers working in relevant fields;
- Contributions: original studies related to the themes outlined above;
- Language: contributions are expected to be prepared in English;
- Provisional deadline for full papers: January 2027;
- Co-authorship: individual and co-authored contributions are both welcome;
- Chinese-language research: scholars who normally publish in Chinese may consider developing relevant research into an English-language contribution.
Article length, style requirements, submission procedures, and other publication details will be specified in the full proposal and subsequent communications from the organizers.
About the MeTChE Project
MeTChE stands for The Mediterranean Through Chinese Eyes. Led by Associate Professor Renata Vinci of the University of Palermo, the project investigates Chinese perceptions of the Mediterranean in geographical and travel sources, particularly from the Song to the Qing period. It considers the Mediterranean as a transcultural space and explores the channels through which knowledge of the region was formed and transmitted in China.
The project’s first volume, Navigating the Mediterranean Through the Chinese Lens: Transcultural Narratives of the Sea Among Lands, edited by Renata Vinci, is available in Open Access. Prospective contributors may consult it for an overview of the project’s objectives, framework, and research perspectives.
Project and Contact Information
- Renata Vinci, Associate Professor, University of Palermo;
- Victoria Almonte, Associate Professor, University of Tuscia;
Scholars interested in contributing may request the full proposal through this website or contact the organizers for further information.
征稿启事
Reframing Sino-Western Contacts within the Mediterranean Sea
“重构地中海视野下的中西交流”（暂译，书名暂定）
MeTChE（The Mediterranean Through Chinese Eyes）研究项目正在筹备第二部论文集，暂定名为 Reframing Sino-Western Contacts within the Mediterranean Sea。现向中国学界转发征稿信息，欢迎相关领域学者和青年研究人员关注并考虑投稿。
本论文集旨在从历史与跨文化视角重新考察中国与地中海之间的联系，尤其关注地中海研究的理论与方法如何应用于中国历史资料，以及中国不同时期的文献如何认识、表述和重构地中海。
论文集拟议结构
根据目前的出版计划，论文集拟分为三个部分。
第一部分：理论与方法
本部分拟讨论 MeTChE 项目的理论与方法基础，重点说明地中海研究所形成的概念和研究方法，如何应用于中国历史资料的分析。
本部分亦关注地中海研究、海洋研究、地理学与地图学等领域对跨学科历史研究的意义。除理论和方法研究外，也欢迎能够体现相关研究路径的个案研究。
第二部分：中国地理知识中的地中海
本部分拟考察从古代至十九世纪中国地理知识中地中海形象的形成与演变，特别关注阿拉伯、波斯、欧洲和传教士等中介在知识传播过程中的作用。
项目尤其欢迎与以下问题相关的研究：
- 中国历史资料如何认识和表述地中海；
- 外来地理知识如何进入中国，并在中文语境中得到翻译与调整；
- 耶稣会士如何向中国读者介绍欧洲地理知识；
- 耶稣会地理文献中有关地中海的知识与表述。
其中，关于“耶稣会地理学及其与地中海的关系”的研究，是此次征稿特别期待的方向。相关论文既可围绕具体史料或个案展开，也可以作较为宏观的综合考察。
第三部分：晚清与民国时期的新认识
本部分拟聚焦晚清与民国时期，考察游记、外交著述等基于亲身观察形成的材料，如何在中国接触全球现代性的过程中改变既有的地理知识。
投稿说明
- 征集对象：相关领域的学者、博士研究生及其他青年研究人员；
- 稿件内容：与上述主题相关的原创研究；
- 写作语言：拟以英文提交；
- 全文截止时间：暂定为 2027年1月；
- 合作方式：欢迎个人投稿，也欢迎师生或其他研究者合作撰写论文；
- 中文成果：以中文开展相关研究的学者，可考虑在原有研究基础上准备英文稿件。
稿件篇幅、格式规范、提交方式及其他出版细节，请以论文集组织者提供的正式 proposal 和后续通知为准。
项目与第一卷简介
MeTChE 项目全称为 The Mediterranean Through Chinese Eyes，由意大利巴勒莫大学 Renata Vinci 副教授主持。项目主要考察宋至清时期中国地理和旅行文献中的地中海认识，关注中国对地中海这一跨文化空间的理解及其知识来源。
项目第一部论文集 Navigating the Mediterranean Through the Chinese Lens: Transcultural Narratives of the Sea Among Lands 由 Renata Vinci 主编，已经以开放获取形式出版。该书可帮助有意投稿者了解项目的研究目标、理论框架和既有成果。
组织与联系信息
- Renata Vinci,，意大利巴勒莫大学副教授；
- Victoria Almonte盛丽, 意大利图西亚大学副教授；
有意投稿者可通过本网站联系转达，或索取论文集的完整 proposal。