Traces of the Hand from Africa to Asia: A Symposium on the Palaeography of Arabic-Script Languages

Traces of the Hand from Africa to Asia: A Symposium on the Palaeography of Arabic-Script Languages

24 August 2015, King's College London, Strand Campus, London, UK


Dear Colleagues,

The Islamic Manuscript Association, in collaboration with the Department of Classics at King’s College London and the Thesaurus Islamicus Foundation, is pleased to announce a symposium on the palaeography of Arabic-script languages at King’s College London’s Great Hall on the Strand, London, on Monday, 24 August.

Compared with the well-established Greek, Latin, Hebrew, and Coptic palaeographic traditions, the study of Arabic scripts is still in its infancy. However, as the increasing number of studies published by scholars such as François Déroche, Adam Gacek, and Yusuf Raghib shows, interest in the field is growing.

In this symposium, five distinguished speakers will critically appraise the state of the field and explore new directions for study. The keynote address by Adam Gacek, author of multiple books and articles on the codicology and palaeography of Arabic manuscripts, includingArabic Manuscripts: A Vademecum for Readers(Brill 2011), and retired faculty lecturer and research associate at the Institute of Islamic Studies, McGill University, will assess the last quarter-century of palaeographic scholarship and suggest areas of future research. Additional presentations will explore current research and lacunae in scholarship on Arabic, Persian, Ottoman, and Jawi palaeography in more detail.

Admission is free of charge, but registration is essential. Presentations will be in English, and simultaneous Arabic interpretation will be available.

For further information and to register, see our website.