The Mediterranean Society of Enlightenment Studies Mediterranean (MSES) was initiated in 2011 under the nomination Society for the Study of Scottish Enlightenment (MSSSE) by an interdisciplinary group of scholars coming mainly from countries of the Mediterranean basin, such as Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Israel.
The members of MSES, scholars in law, philosophy, economics, and history, are bound together by their common interest in European Enlightenment and its relevance and influence to the Mediterranean societies. After many years of individual research on this topic, they decided to join their forces, strengthening the unduly weak and neglected structures of collaboration among neighboring and interrelated cultural traditions.
Most of our members share the conviction that the ideas of the Enlightenment retain a very timely relevance to the contemporary world and to our area in particular. The agenda of the crucial issues of Enlightenment (community and society, traditional ethics and modern manners, individual freedom and social responsibility, religiousness and tolerance, authority and criticism, interconnectedly with the issues of economic transition (technical improvement, commercialization, division of labor, market and the state etc.), has to be re-studied and discussed in the context of the particularities of our societies.
The members of the MSES have been individuals partaking in the international debate. Nevertheless, they all consider opportune and meaningful to form a Mediterranean forum, functioning as a workshop of ideas and labor-hypotheses concerning the critical reception and the relevance of the above-mentioned issues to our Mediterranean societies. Participation and membership to MSES are open worldwide.
Some of the more distinguished scholars from the USA, France, Scotland, and Russia are full members of MSES. MSES is affiliated to international prestigious scientific societies, such as the International Adam Smith Society, and the Eighteenth-Century Scottish Studies Society.
Members:
Michael Heyd, Hebrew University of Jerusalem (deceased)
Nir Ben-Moshe, University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign
David Casassas, Universitat de Barcelona
Işil Çeşmeli, Middle East Technical University
Harvey Chisick, University of Haifa
Sergio Cremaschi, Università Amedeo Avogadro del Piemonte Orientale
Melvin Dalgarno, University of Aberdeen
Dionysis Drosos, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Jean-François Dunyach, Université Paris-Sorbonne - Paris IV
Yiftah Elazar, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Angeliki Ziaka, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Shmuel Feiner, Bar Ilan University
Sam Fleischacker, University of Chicago- Illinois
Glycofrydi-Leontsini, University of Athens
Dogan Göçmen, Dokuz Eylül University Izmir
Chris Gregoriou, University of Patras
Richard Gunn, University of Edinburgh
Maria Kavala, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Eleni Leontsini, University of Ioannina
Tito Magri, University of Sapienza
Eylem Yolsal Murteza, Kirklareli University
Gökhan Murteza, Kırklareli University
Örsan K. Öymen, Isik University, Istanbul
Fania Oz-Salzberger, University of Haifa
Kostas Papastathis, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Maria Pournari, University of Ioannina
Roberto Rodríguez-Milán, Hellenic Open University
Aris Stylianou, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Yannis Tassopoulos, University of Athens
Spiros Tegos, University of Creta
Nikolas Theocharakis, University of Athens
Halil Turan, Middle East Technical University, Ankara
Özlem Ünlü Middle East Technical University, Ankara
Fotini Vaki, Department of History, Ionian University
Saniye Vatansever, Bilkent University
Gloria Vivenza, Università di Verona
Nathaniel Wolloch, Independent Scholar
