Research Conversations Michaelmas Term 2018

The first Research Conversations of the academic year, organised by Professor Martin Goodman, will take place on Monday 5 November from 1pm in the Spalding Room.

Dr Imre Bangha will be in conversation with Professor Jay Lewis about his research on the problems of conceptualising the emergence of Hindi literature as a distinct tradition within the New Indo-Aryan dialect continuum of northern India. Over the centuries, Hindi literature was produced in various literary dialects. However, the composition of Hindi canons is a dynamic process where, among others, questions of time and space arise. Indian nationalism invoked a Hindi past of one and a half millennia while many liberal intellectuals today only refer to a past of two hundred years. This research conversation will explore the role of interlinked continuities and how standardised languages and literary traditions are constructed when several language varieties are at play, and aims to raise questions that are relevant beyond the Hindi Belt.

Professor Judith Olszowy-Schlanger will be in conversation with Professor Chris Minkowski about her research on Hebrew manuscripts and palaeography, and her investigations into the production of Hebrew legal documents and books in the medieval Jewish world, focusing on her research in the field of Cairo Genizah studies. The research conversation will examine the importance of the Genizah fragments for our understanding of the acquisition of writing skills from childhood to professional calligraphy, assessing how the scribe’s education is reflected in and impacted by the different functions and styles of script and handwriting.

Tea and coffee will be available, and you are welcome to bring your own lunch. All are welcome to attend.