Economy and morality in the Mediterranean Middle Ages
Theology, Economic Thought and Commercial Practices: The Medieval Debate on Interest Rates in Christianity and Islam
This project aims to provide a parallel reading of the debate that marked the juridical, theological and economic definition of interest rates both in medieval Christianity and in classical Islam in order to identify some key factors in the elaboration and development of similar or contrasting solutions.
The project investigates how discourse was constructed and shaped in the past, focusing on the terminology adopted, and how this language fitted into the contemporary debate on the functioning and morality of the so-called traditional finance and Islamic finance. Moreover, through the examination of single case studies, the research explores the application of the debate and its impact on the economic sphere in Mediterranean regions. The analysis of specific contexts affords an investigation into the historical origins of economic stereotypes that have become ingrained in contemporary economic language.
Contributors: Adday Hernández Lopez, Banjaran Surya Indrastomo, Laura Righi.