Walls, Shaky Grounds, Bridges: on Medieval Interactions among Civilizations and their Relevance

Speaker: prof. Amos Bertolacci (IMT Lucca)

Discussants: prof.ssa Barbara Henry e prof. Alberto Pirni

On closer inspection, the Middle Ages turn out to be a lively, bright, and instructive historical period, contrary to how they are frequently presented. At the time, the fiercest religious confrontation between Europe and Islam ever seen in history, and ambivalent political dynamics inspired by Realpolitik, coexisted with a very intense cultural interaction: in a religious situation of mutual accusations, and in a political scenario made of both clashes and negotiations, European culture regained acquaintance with his Greek past through the mediation of the Arabic-Muslim “other”. In this way, a primeval cultural “globalization” took shape, the first European system of education was built, and a strong rationalistic continuum – from Aristotle, through the Arabic philosophers, until the main universities in Europe – created a non-dogmatic and trans-national "illuminism" ante litteram. If cultural "bridges", side by side with religious "walls" and political "shaky grounds", existed at that time, analogous forms of dialogue and positive interaction can for sure be explored also nowadays.