ABSTRACT
The chapter analyses ways in which regionalism in and of the Mediterranean has been researched and enacted. Throughout its long history, the Mediterranean has witnessed several attempts at regionalism, either in a top-down state-led process or in a bottom-up format. First, the chapter looks at the debate in international history on whether the Mediterranean constitutes a ‘region’ and if so, why. Second, it focuses on more recent times, overviewing the discussion in international relations and European studies about how processes of European integration post-World War II have interacted with the area, in a series of top-down institution-building processes. Finally, the chapter takes stock of bottom-up regionalization and the type of issues in relation to the Mediterranean that scholars and policy-makers currently face.
