Arabic-Script Manuscripts in Africa

Conference: 13-16 September 2020

Alexandria, Egypt

Bibliotheca Alexandrina and The Islamic Manuscript Association—in partnership with the library’s Manuscript Center and the Thesaurus Islamicus Foundation—are delighted to announce the conference Arabic-Script Manuscripts in Africa, which will be held at Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria, Egypt from 13 to 16 September 2020.

The conference will comprise six panels featuring original, current research on the Arabic-script manuscript cultures of North and Sub-Saharan Africa and the care and management of manuscript collections across the continent:
• Historical Traditions of Arabic-Script Manuscripts in Africa
• Manuscript Libraries and Manuscript Heritage Centres in Africa
• African Arabic-Script Languages
• Cataloguing and Publishing
• Preservation, Conservation, and Digitization
• Cultural Property Protection

Each panel will include four papers—one presented by an invited keynote speaker and three presented by persons selected through a call for papers—and the organizers are honoured that the following keynote speakers have confirmed their participation: Dr Helmi Sharawy, Dr Ahmed Chaouki Binebine, Dr Mohamed Diagayeté, and Dr Maria Luisa Russo.

Additionally, the conference will include six workshops corresponding to the themes of the panels. The languages of the conference will be Arabic, English, and French; and simultaneous interpretation will be available throughout the event. Subsequent to the conference, the organizers will publish its papers in an edited volume of proceedings.

Due to limited seating, the organizers recommend registering for the event in advance via the online registration form. Registration will open on 15 January 2020 and be conducted on a first come, first served basis. Persons wanting to attend a workshop must meet any prerequisites for participation and complete the separate online workshop application form. The application period will also open on 15 January 2020.

Call for Papers
The organizers invite individuals to submit abstracts describing original, current research that has not been presented or published previously. The duration of papers will be twenty minutes, followed by ten minutes of questions; and each panel will conclude with a moderated half-hour discussion. Subsequent to the conference, the organizers will publish its papers in an edited volume of proceedings.

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Please know that presenters will be responsible for funding their own participation in the conference and making their own arrangements for travel to and accommodation in Alexandria.

The deadline for the submission of abstracts is 10:00 UTC on Wednesday, 15 January 2020. All submissions must include three documents: a cover sheet; an abstract of 250 words or less; and a biographical statement of 200 words or less written in third-person prose. These may be prepared in Arabic, English, or French.
Please email the documents to submissions@asmiaconference.org.

For more information, please visit the conference’s webpage – www.asmiaconference.org –, and see its Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Categories: Calls for & opportunities, Research, Studies, Teaching

Tags: Academic conference, Africa, Arabic, Call for papers, Conference, Culture, Egypt, history, language, libraries, manuscripts