The Seas of Connection initiative at the University of Pittsburgh’s Global Studies Center explores the Mediterranean and the Indo-Pacific as dynamic regional designations that are reshaping global politics, economics, and culture in the 21st century. Long regarded as crossroads of commerce, migration, and empire, both regions are once again at the forefront of world-historical change—sites where strategic rivalries, environmental vulnerabilities, and cultural exchanges converge.
This initiative examines how these two maritime zones function as linked arenas of global transformation: the Mediterranean as a historical hinge between Europe, Africa, and Asia; and the Indo-Pacific as an expansive arena where the balance of global power, trade, and ecological sustainability is increasingly contested.
Key areas of inquiry include:
- Geopolitics and Security: shifting alliances, great-power competition, and regional conflicts.
- Migration and Mobility: patterns of displacement, diaspora, and cultural circulation.
- Trade and Infrastructure: maritime commerce, port cities, and connectivity projects such as the Belt and Road Initiative.
- Climate and Ecology: rising seas, resource scarcity, and environmental adaptation strategies.
- Histories of Contact: colonialism, decolonization, and enduring cultural interconnections across seas and continents.
The initiative is strengthened through collaboration with the Consortium for Educational Resources on Islamic Studies (CERIS), hosted by the Global Studies Center, which provides vital expertise in exploring the cultural, religious, and intellectual currents that have long circulated through these maritime spaces. CERIS’s network of scholars and educators brings unique insight into how traditions, ideas, and communities move across sea routes and reshape both regional and global identities.
By placing the Mediterranean and Indo-Pacific into comparative and connected perspective, Seas of Connection highlights how regional designations themselves are historically contingent, politically charged, and globally significant. Together with CERIS, the initiative convenes scholars, students, educators, policymakers, and practitioners to generate innovative research and dialogue about these critical regions and their place in the global order.