The Islamic Material Text: Local Traditions and Intercultural Dialogue

The goal of this session is to explore textual artifacts that have originated or been adapted for use in one or more of the cultural traditions of Islam. The interplay between cultures, including relationships between different Islamic cultures or between Islamic and other cultures, will be a particular focus. Papers that address any period up to 1914 will be prioritized. A variety of media will be considered, including objects, architecture, manuscripts, and printed materials. Examples of possible topics include the use and reuse of items bearing epigraphy in any language; the reinterpretation of imagery from elsewhere to illustrate Islamic texts; the early European historiography of Islamic materials. While attending to the specificity of local traditions, the session will consider the significance of these textual artifacts in intercultural and historiographic perspective. The geographical definition of “Islamic” is open.