Research Focus Group Talk: Ransoming Genoa: Captives, Consuls, Missionaries in the Early Modern Mediterranean

The seminar aims to explore the phenomenon of Mediterranean captivity between the 16th and 19th centuries as analyzed in Andrea Zappia’s monograph, Mercanti di uomini. Reti e intermediari per la liberazione dei captivi nel Mediterraneo (Città del Silenzio 2018), with a particular focus on the singular case of the Republic of Genoa and the redemption of its subjects. The first part of the seminar will provide a historical contextualization, examining the daily lives of prisoners and the European institutions dedicated to their liberation. The second part will focus on the role of European consuls in the Maghreb, highlighting their functions in the negotiations for ransoms. Finally, the important mediation provided by missionaries and apostolic prefects in Tunis, Tripoli, and Algiers will be discussed. Through this analysis, the seminar also intends to reflect on contemporary issues such as human trafficking and exploitation, which remain relevant in the context of the contemporary Mediterranean.

Dr. Andrea Zappia is a faculty member in the Department of History, Anthropology, Religions, Art History, Media, and Performing Arts at the Sapienza Università di Roma.

Zoom attendance link here

Cosponsored by the IHC’s Slavery, Captivity, and the Meaning of Freedom Research Focus Group and UCSB’s Program in Transnational Italian Studies