Workshop report‘What Brought Us Together was Our Appreciation of the Totality of the Written Artefact’

5 June 2025

‘The Legal Document in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Period’ was the title of a conference and PhD workshop that three members of the CSMC Graduate School attended in Copenhagen this month. During this event, they realised that nothing in this title can be taken for granted.

The conference took place over two phases: an intensive PhD workshop on 5 May 2025, followed by the main conference in sunny Copenhagen on 15–16 May 2025. Convened by Nino Zchomelidse and Carsten Jahnke and taking place in the Saxo Institute at the University of Copenhagen, the event attracted scholars working on legal documents from the disciplines of art history, history, and diplomatics, and from the fields of European studies, Islamic studies, and Ethiopian studies. Consequently, the entire proceedings were interdisciplinary in the fullest sense, with varied approaches, methodologies, and material on full display.

Starting with the PhD workshop, the nine PhD participants presented on their individual projects for approximately 30 minutes each, followed by a Q&A. We discussed why we were drawn to the conference’s themes and what inspired our own research directions. This preliminary meeting served multiple purposes: It primed us for the upcoming conference, allowed us to introduce ourselves to colleagues, and provided valuable feedback on our work. For our group, this intense seven-hour day proved to be the highlight of the entire proceedings.

Following the PhD workshop, we gathered together for two productive days in Copenhagen, where we listened to contributions from more senior scholars and shared our ideas and perspectives. Considering that both components of the conference brought together scholars working in the disciplines of diplomatics and art history and in the fields of European, Islamic, and Ethiopian studies, one might wonder what common ground, if any, could be established. Yet what united all participants was the conference’s central focus: legal documents in the medieval and early modern periods. However, as we learned from the rich papers and discussions, nothing in the conference’s title could be taken for granted. What constitutes a legal document? What do we define as the medieval and early modern periods, and should our scope extend beyond Europe? The conference framework encouraged us to explore these questions through several key lenses: How does visuality of legal documents relate to strategies of authentication? What role do material properties and technological innovations play in document creation and preservation? How does performance function in legal communication? These reflections shaped both our understanding of the presentations and our approach to individual research projects.

Despite our varied backgrounds, disciplines, and fields, what also brought us together was our appreciation of the totality of the written artefact. By moving beyond a text-focused approach, presenters and PhD students alike had to account for visual layout, the material support, the phenomenon of originals and copies, and the different performative aspects that our documents evidenced.

The interdisciplinary nature of the event was particularly evident in contributions that challenged artificial scholarly boundaries. Zahir Bhallo’s work on authenticating signatures in the Islamic East (13th­–14th centuries), for example, exemplified how expanding our geographical and cultural scope can illuminate practices and concepts that transcend regional divisions. This resonated strongly with us as researchers in Islamic and Ethiopian Studies, reminding us that colleagues in seemingly unrelated fields had much to offer to our work, and we in return to theirs.  

The PhD course component proved particularly valuable in helping us reframe individual research questions for peers with different specialisations. The interdisciplinary environment challenged us to contextualise, complement, and strengthen our own approaches. While the formal presentations provided the groundwork for our analytical framework, our most productive conversations often continued during coffee breaks, walks to hotels and restaurants, and even our return trips home.

The conference and PhD workshop were an unforgettable and informative experience. Beyond offering valuable opportunities to reflect on our own projects and goals during our time at the CSMC, the event reinforced the importance of collaborative work, open conversations, and interdisciplinary approaches for studying written artefacts and the scribal cultures behind them. As researchers working across Islamic Studies and Ethiopian Studies, we were reminded that scholarly collaboration across seemingly disparate fields enriches our understanding of manuscript cultures and their broader historical contexts.