The Mediterranean as a Cognitive Map
Juval Portugali · Mediterranean Historical Review · 2004
What is ‘the Mediterranean’? One answer might be that it is a large, almost closed body of water with clearly defined geographical boundaries, but this definition hardly touches the richness of the term. ‘Mediterranean’ also refers to a long list of traits that together form the Mediterranean landscape, culture, and society, and the examination of what these traits represent in people's minds reveals a wide gap between the Mediterranean and the image of the Mediterranean. This article examines this gap from the perspective of cognitive science, in particular the study of cognitive mapping.