Research
Current catalogue entries for these manuscripts contain - for the most part - minimal (and often incorrect) information. Up to the late 20th century manuscripts such as these in the libraries of Western Europe would have been considered as belonging to the subject of ‘Orientalism’ and were often viewed through the narrow lens of Biblical and theological studies, as opposed to the language and culture in which they were created.
The research conducted as part of this project will provide a fresh perspective on the collection. Outputs will include more accurate and comprehensive information on the contents and provenance of individual manuscripts, as well as a comprehensive overview of the culture and global context in which they were produced.
Challenging as it is, the difficulty of defining terms such as ‘Arab’ and ‘Islamic’ needs to be acknowledged, and the study of these manuscripts must be approached with the full awareness of the complexity of each term and the inevitability of using labels at times. The term ‘Islamic‘ includes the cultural dimension rather than the religious only and encompasses Christian and Jewish communities too. As a religion, Islam blends into society and structures people’s quotidian life, whether they subscribe to it or not. Arab and Islamic culture is predicated on the rich cultural exchange that came naturally out of geographic expansion and trade relations. Just as Islam, as a religion and a culture, influenced peoples and places within and beyond its borders, it was heavily impacted by the cultures and religions it interacted with. The outcome was a colourful mosaic that left its impact in different spheres, such as literature, religion, science, architecture, culinary practices and so much more.
We also aim to contextualise these manuscripts within the larger European and colonial discourse. Such discourse focuses on the manuscripts in Ireland, itself a past colony, and the way manuscripts travelled from various places in the ‘Middle East’ to Ireland. The journey of the manuscripts from their homeland to Ireland is an inseparable part of the conversation and of the history of the manuscripts themselves and their ownership. The role of a past colony in preserving artefacts and manuscripts taken out of other former colonies like Egypt and Syria is interesting and changes, as well as challenges, the assumed pattern of objects traveling from a colony to a clearly defined colonial entity. We will investigate whether this dynamic changes the way we should approach and interpret these manuscripts.
The project will be divided into phases, focusing on a particular theme in each.
Phase I: The Arab World through Secular Eyes
As part of the research, we will investigate Arab secular culture through some of the available secular Arabic manuscripts and a selection of Persian manuscripts, particularly those relevant to Arab culture that deal with similar subjects. These manuscripts cover areas such as history, astrology, astronomy, charms, talismans, and some literary and linguistic works.
Some engaging questions are: How do we see the world through Arab and Islamic eyes? More important, how did people back then conceive their world and their relationship to it? What shaped their daily life and culture? While it is impossible to disengage religion from everyday life in Arab and Islamic cultures even in secular and literary contexts, the focus is largely on secular topics (overlapping at times with the religious). Such focus facilitates a more systematic study of part of the collection that lends it coherence and allows us to tell a meaningful narrative that traces global connections across cultures and historical moments.
Research Team
Dr Sally Abed