ARCE Islamic Manuscript Fellowship

A collection of approximately 200 photostats of manuscripts was acquired by ARCE sometime in 1978. The cardboard boxes containing these photostats were, at some point, placed in storage in an ARCE storehouse. This collection, of approximately 200 photostats of manuscripts from around the world, can be generally divided into medieval Arabic philosophical works (including medical works) and medieval Arabic literature and Islamic history.

The vast majority of the philosophical manuscripts are of Ibn Sina’s works. In 1993-1994, while in Egypt on a Fullbright fellowship, David C. Reisman–a scholar of Islamic Studies and an Ibn Sina specialist–was asked by the Director of ARCE at the time to go through the collection of photostats in the cardboard boxes and compile a list of their contents. Reisman completed an author and title list on index cards, organized according to shelf numbers. These shelf numbers were subsequently changed by ARCE’s Head Librarian at the time, who then compiled a general handwritten author and title list.

Reisman then returned to Egypt in 1999 as an ARCE fellow. He used these new numbers in the catalogue he created for his article entitled “Avicenna at the ARCE,” in Aspects of Avicenna, edited by Robert Wisnovsky (Markus Wiener Publishers, June 20, 2013). Reisman stated in his article that “…this new list amounted to only a rough identification of the manuscripts as majmuaas on a particular topic (medicine, philosophy, etc.) with the name of the author who had composed the majority of the treatises in a given majmuaa. Clearly, if the collection were to be used by researchers, a more detailed inventory had to be undertaken.” (Reisman 2013, p. 132) Reisman also pointed out that a number of the exemplars of a given work are incomplete either because loose pages of the photostats were separated from their groups, or their quality is not high enough to make them readable. No work has been carried out since then on this collection of photostats. ARCE is introducing a new Egyptian fellowship opportunity this year.

The successful candidate would receive a one-year ARCE fellowship during which they would have access to ARCE’s library and Archives, in addition to receiving administrative support from ARCE staff to facilitate their own research. The successful candidate would be required to dedicate 20% of his/her time to working on this collection of photostats and 80% on their own research project. The successful candidate will be selected based on the strength of his/her research project.