MEDINA: Mediterranean Intercultural Narrative Advancement

The MEDINA Initiative aims to enhance dialogue by reimagining the Mediterranean Sea not as a dividing border but as a shared space of complex historical, political, cultural, economic, and intellectual exchange between its shores. By constructively exploring commonalities and differences, it seeks to enhance connectivity and understanding and bridge gaps. It emphasises the complex, interconnected histories of the Mediterranean shores, offering nuanced perspectives that highlight centuries of interaction, coexistence, and knowledge exchange. The initiative also seeks to explore the deep historical connections between Islam, Judaism, and other traditions within Europe, examining how their interactions—and their tensions—have shaped development, knowledge, and identities across the Mediterranean. 

Through understanding this shared past, its continuity and disruption, and how to imagine a more constructive future by understanding these interactions as ‘cultural/historical networks’ that mutually influenced each other in many ways to create overlapping identities.

The inaugural MEDINA Forum in Granada, Spain, took place in early 2026. With the theme of Reimagining the Future, the forum brought together distinguished scholars from the Mediterranean and beyond. Their conversations explored not only how the interplay of cultures and ideas has shaped the past and present, but also how this ongoing exchange could illuminate a path forward. In the spirit of Granada—a city long regarded as a crossroads of civilizations—the gathering fostered a spirit of inquiry and openness, reminding us that the Mediterranean, far from being a line of division, is a space of possibility.

The MEDINA initiative will also develop actionable steps and foster new approaches to dialogue, mutual understanding, and challenging divisive political and ideological boundaries. It seeks to bridge academia and public discourse by translating complex, research-based knowledge into accessible, relevant, and engaging content for broader audiences through various channels, including public conferences, exhibitions, and media.