In the 17th century, the need for a guide through the vast domains of Arabic literature, a Bibliotheca Arabica, was voiced repeatedly among Europe’s Republic of Oriental Letters. One who took up the task was Johann Heinrich Hottinger. Based in Zurich he was hopelessly removed from the necessary sources. Yet what he lacked in information, he made up with a methodology that was strikingly modern. Few dared to follow him down this path into one of the richest of the pre-modern literary traditions. Since great parts of it have remained in manuscript until today, taking stock of Arabic literary heritage and of its physical transmission through specific manuscript witnesses were often two sides of the same coin. Today, new technologies allow us to attempt a new Bibliotheca Arabica in ways that the printed page could not. This comes as scholars start to appreciate manuscripts not as necessary references but as social objects that have fascinating stories to tell. This presentation will show how to make these manuscripts, among them those in Columbia’s libraries, speak to us.
The speaker for this talk is Boris Liebrenz, Saxon Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Leipzig. Following the talk in Butler 203, a reception will be held in the Kempner Gallery, in the Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
This event is co-sponsored by the Grolier Club and the Center for the Study of Muslim Societies.
RSVP is required.
