About
Since its inception in 2012, the Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) has created a cross-disciplinary and international research environment for the holistic study of handwritten artefacts and the rich diversity of global manuscript cultures beyond traditionally held boundaries of academic discipline, time, and space.
CSMC is located in two buildings at Warburgstraße 26 and 28 in the city of Hamburg. Here, some 200 junior and senior researchers collaborate on a multitude of joint projects that combine the humanities with the natural sciences. Among our current projects, the largest is the Cluster of Excellence ‘Understanding Written Artefacts’. At present, the Cluster includes 55 research projects combining more than 30 academic disciplines organised in five research fields, a research unit ‘Data Linking’, which uses and develops artificial intelligence methods, as well as three working groups: ‘Theory and Terminology’ (TNT), ‘Ethics’ and ‘Facing New Technologies’.
CSMC operates an artefact profiling laboratory consisting of a stationary High Performance Lab, a Mobile Lab, and a Container Lab, which is currently under construction. Moreover, the Centre runs a graduate school offering Master’s and doctoral degreesand special summer and winter school programmes, as well as a research library.
To further facilitate the study of written artefacts and manuscript cultures, CSMC invites fellows, organises various workshops and lectures, and releases a wide variety of publications, among them a book series, a journal, occasional papers, manuals, data bases, and software.
The roots of CSMC go back to 2004. Learn more about its history and about the Sonderforschungsbereich 950 (2011-2020).
To stay up to date on new projects and events, subscribe to the CSMC mailing list or follow the CSMC on Twitter.
