SUMMER SCHOOL — The Archives of Islam in the Russian Empire (16th-early 20th Centuries)
Organizer: Committee for the Study of Islam in Central Eurasia (ÖAW)
27 Jun 2022 – 01 Jul 2022 • Vienna, Austria
The summer school aims to delve into various scholarly perspectives on the hermeneutics of records and the establishment of archives related to Islam within the territories of the former Russian Empire during the early modern and modern periods.
In this context, the term “archive” is employed in a broad sense, encompassing all aspects of record-keeping activities. The primary objective of this initiative is to highlight practices of information-gathering and knowledge production concerning Muslim communities across the expansive region comprising Inner Asia, Siberia, Central Asia, and the Caucasus, spanning from the fall of the Khanate of Kazan in 1552 to the demise of the Russian Empire.
Furthermore, by facilitating a dialogue between archival science and Russian and Islamic studies, the summer school encourages a comprehensive examination of the institutions and individuals (including archivists, historians, Orientalists, dragomans, and intermediaries from various backgrounds) who played pivotal roles in establishing the imperial repositories that currently house records about Islam and Muslim communities in Central Eurasia.
Through hands-on reading sessions and masterclasses utilizing materials in Russian, Church Slavonic, Eastern Turkic (Tatar and Chaghatay), and Ottoman Turkish, the summer school provides diverse activities to acquaint students with writing, documentary, and archival practices prevalent in Tsarist-ruled Central Eurasia.
The reading sessions will offer ample opportunities for practical exercises in the realms of palaeography and diplomatics, with special emphasis on records composed in Cyrillic handwriting (including skoropis) and the Arabic script.
Event website: https://www.oeaw.ac.at/sice/events/summer-school
