SHN Symposium: Threat Imaginaries of the Mediterranean – Corsairs and Maritime Dominion in European Music Theatre

Threat Imaginaries of the Mediterranean – Corsairs and Maritime Dominion in European Music Theatre

The Security History Network is pleased to announce its upcoming symposium Threat Imaginaries of the Mediterranean: Corsairs and Maritime Dominion in Music Theatre, taking place on 28 January.

This symposium explores the Mediterranean as a space that, in the European imagination of the nineteenth century, was shaped by ideas of danger, domination, and cultural encounter. Long associated with piracy, corsairing, captivity, and maritime power, the Mediterranean featured prominently in music theatre and other cultural forms. These representations did not merely entertain, but also reflected and reinforced emerging European imperialist perspectives on the region and its peoples.

Bringing together scholars from different disciplines, the symposium examines how cultural representations of the sea, corsairs, and captives intersected with broader political and imperial discourses. Dr. Barbara Babić (Universität Leipzig), Dr. Annelies Andries (Utrecht University), and Dorian Hagedoorn (Utrecht University and SHN Member) will discuss how the cultures of Mediterranean societies were portrayed on the operatic stage and in musical theatre during the first half of the nineteenth century, and how these portrayals shaped ideas of maritime dominance, security, and threat.

The event concludes with a lecture concert on fortepiano, performed by Lucie de Saint Vincent. Through musical examples, the concert will demonstrate how imperialist discourse could travel beyond the theatre into the domestic sphere, reaching audiences in salons and private homes, and shaping everyday perceptions of the Mediterranean world.

The programme runs from 13:00 to 17:00, with arrival from 13:00 to 13:15, followed by the symposium sessions from 13:15 to 16:30. The afternoon will conclude with drinks and informal discussion from 16:30 to 17:00, offering an opportunity to continue the conversation with speakers and fellow attendees.