Writing Individual Itineraries in the Mediterranean Macro-Region: Methodological Considerations about the Relationship between Biography and Structure

Traditional biography as a mode of history writing has been faulted for, among others, overestimating the role of the individual as opposed to that of historical processes on the one hand, and systematically obscuring the historical significance of non-hegemonic groups on the other. This workshop aims at discussing ways of using individual life itineraries as analytic frameworks to examine the impact of structural transformations, particularly in non-Western contexts. How can theoretical insights into the potentials and limits of biography be put into practice? How can pragmatic approaches to history writing best capture varying scales of analysis? Our workshop will address these questions from avariety of disciplinary viewpoints, exchange hands-on experiences, and discuss ongoing research projects.