This interdisciplinary workshop is dedicated to the study of all aspects of Western Mediterranean culture from 1200 to 1700. The workshop addresses the multiple linguistic, textual, and visual traditions of five regions/countires: France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and orth Africa (including parts of the Ottoman Empire). It seeks to foster discussion between medieval and early modern specialists as well as among different disciplines (art history, history, literatures, music, etc.). With a focus during 2007-8 on the theme of "Border Crossings," the workshop will emphasize the movement and the exchange of peoples, ideas, motifs, and goods among the different parts of the region.