Graduate Workshop on Diversity in the Medieval Middle East, Oklahoma State University, May 18–22, 2020
The medieval Middle East was the most ethnically, religiously, and linguistically diverse literate society in the premodern world, yet it has too often been studied in ways that ignore or do not benefit from the plethora of literary traditions. This workshop invites early graduate students (considering their options for research topics) to discuss the place of medieval diversity in the region and consider topics which cross the communal and linguistic boundaries imposed on premodern history by graduate-level specialization in single medieval languages or subfields. The goal is to expose graduate students to the region’s linguistic, ethnic, and religious diversity early in their academic trajectory to allow them to acquire the skills necessary to pursue wideranging research.
The workshop will invite graduate students to discuss their potential research projects, while introducing participants to scholarly resources and evidence for exploring diversity in the medieval Middle East. The workshop will also introduce participants to the Historical Index of the Medieval Middle East (HIMME), an NEH-sponsored digital history project to make the linguistic diversity of medieval Middle Eastern textual sources visible. HIMME is scheduled for publication in summer 2021, so this workshop provides an exclusive opportunity for graduate students to utilize the collected data for their research.
The workshop will take place May 18-22, 2020 at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater Oklahoma, and the number of graduate participants is limited. Faculty participants include Thomas A. Carlson (Oklahoma State University), Margaret Gaida (Oklahoma State University, post-doctoral researcher), Scott F. Johnson (University of Oklahoma), and Andrew Magnusson (University of Central Oklahoma).
Masters or early PhD students interested in any part of the Middle East (from Cairo to Samarqand and the Black Sea to Yemen) between the seventh and fifteenth centuries CE are welcome to apply. Lodging and airfare (within the US) will be provided for participants.