SNAP Bulletin Fourth Edition

The fourth edition of the SNAP Bulletin, explores historical connections across the Mediterranean. Using digital tools, our authors urge us to think about connections across space and time, re-imaging how different temporal and spatial frameworks reorient our approach to the various historical subjects and the questions we ask about them. Dr. Glaire Anderson’s StoryMap juxtaposes medieval and early modern conceptions of Ibn Firnas (d. 887) with a resurgence in modern and contemporary celebrations of this early ‘scientist.’ Dr. Anderson’s multimedia essay guides us through a comparison of these descriptions across time and space, urging us to be more cognizant of the role of public perception - both past and present - in defining the place of Islamic societies in histories of science and technology. Dr. Peter Kitlas’ network analysis of Moroccan diplomats in the eighteenth century similarly proposes a reframing of our historical perception of Muslim diplomats. Dr. Kitlas demonstrates how a network analysis allows us to rethink the role of Moroccan diplomats, moving away from ad hoc characterizations to one that more appropriately recognizes the creative influence they had in Morocco and abroad.