Research Project of Dr. Daniel Tödt
Marseille and the (Im-)Mobilities of Black Maritime Workers in the African Mediterranean” (MIBWAM) is an interdisciplinary and intersectoral project dedicated to illuminating Africa’s place in the global history of labour, port cities, colonialism and world oceans. Under the supervision of Prof Xavier Daumalin (AMU/TELLEMe), MIBWAM conceptualizes a modern history of the “African Mediterranean” as a way of obtaining a more integrated view of the Mediterranean world. The project seeks to engage a wide range of publics in reflection on the entanglements of Africa and the Mediterranean. To achieve these objectives, MIBWAM adheres to a multi-methodological approach including archival research, and includes a research blog devoted to citizen science and involving a variety of participants. An additional non-academic placement at MuCEM, a museum devoted to the Euro-Mediterranean world, is intended to revisit its representation of Africa, enriching its collections and databases destined to inform exhibitions. MIBWAM will thus foreground the neglected topic of Africa’s relevance to the Mediterranean region in both the academic and museum sectors. In accordance with the Horizon strategy, MIBWAM is committed to breaking new ground in interdisciplinary research and to helping forge an inclusive and historically aware European society.