Editor’s Introduction

Changing the guard succeeds when nothing much changes. By that measure, the recent change in editors of this journal can be considered wildly successful. The incoming editor is as committed to standards of expert and original scholarship as were her predecessors. This editor will not change the mission of the journal to make distinctive and positive contributions to the vast field of Mediterranean studies. The journal’s productive engagement with evolving ideas remains a motivating mandate for the new editor. In fact, you needn’t even try to remember the first name of the incoming editor—it’s the same as that of the editor who has just completed a seven-year stint at the journal’s helm.

But for all that is unchanged in the changed guard, for all that a smooth transition in editors guarantees stability in the character of the journal, Mediterranean Studies is a dynamic enterprise. As the field develops, so too does the list of questions it addresses expand. One line of inquiry in Mediterranean studies that fittingly illustrates the variable borders of our field is the region’s relationships with oceans and other seas. As the journal follows such unpredictable lines of inquiry, the task of ensuring that the journal maintains an unwavering focus on Mediterranean studies falls to the editor. It is her good fortune to have a strong Editorial Board to ease this burden.

So the guard has changed, yet everything remains the same. Which is to say that although changes in our field of study will continue to churn the waters our journal must navigate, Mediterranean Studies will stay the course. The new guard is on board and ready for the onward journey.