An Introduction to Arabic Manuscripts, Princeton-UCLA via Zoom, August 23–27, 2021

Featuring leading authorities in Arabic codicology, historical, and literary studies, the online workshop will equip emerging scholars with the basic tools to conduct research using Arabic manuscripts and will expose them to an expansive vision of current issues in some of the fields to which Arabic manuscripts are central. It will also promote research in digital repositories and in the collections at Princeton and UCLA, which host the two largest repositories of Islamicate manuscripts in North America. The workshop will cover the basics of codicology, paleography, and manuscript production and circulation, as well as providing overviews of selected issues in the field.

The workshop is free of charge, but full participation is by application only. Twenty applicants will be accepted as full seminar participants. Seminar participants will appear on screen as Zoom panelists and will be able to interact with the instructors. The selection of seminar participants will prioritize ABD PhD candidates and untenured scholars in whose research Arabic manuscripts play a central role.

Others—including those who apply but are not accepted as seminar participants—may observe the workshop as webinar observers. Webinar observers will be able to pose written questions in the Zoom Q&A as time allows, but will not be able to interact directly with the instructors. If you are interested in being a webinar observer and not a full seminar participant, there is no need for you to apply via this form. You can simply register directly as a webinar observer. Registration links will be posted at a later date.