Low-cost mass transport in the Mediterranean during the age of steam
The technological revolution made it possible to transport people economically within the Mediterranean basin by means of steamships. The passengers were migrants seeking work in Europe or wishing to reach the hubs for transoceanic migration – namely refugees, deportees, pilgrims or people reduced to slavery. The MedMaD project, funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, studies mass mobility in the wider Mediterranean basin – which also includes the Black Sea and the Red Sea – during the period between 1869 and 1914, years associated, respectively, with the opening of the Suez Canal and the outbreak of the First World War. The project examines the development of mass maritime transport services from a global perspective, analysing their impact on mobility both within and outside the Mediterranean and on the movements of passengers travelling on low-cost services.