CSMC
CSMCCentre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures
Launch of New Working Group on Asian Highland Manuscripts
29 March 2023
Photo: Agnieszka Helman-Ważny
A new Working Group focuses on the multifaceted manuscript cultures of ethnic minorities in Southeast and Central Asia. ‘Asian Highland Manuscripts: Manuscript-Making Beyond the State’ brings together researchers who have been exchanging ideas in regular workshops since 2016.
The new Working Group aims to develop a methodological framework for the study of manuscripts manufactured by ethnic or religious minorities, such as Tibetan, Naxi, Bai, Yao, Lanten, Hmong, Tai, and various other ethnic groups. Thus, it focuses on a large geographical area, roughly corresponding to the region that has come to be known as Zomia – a term that refers to the large mass of mainland Southeast Asia, Southwest China, Tibet and Central Asia that has historically been beyond the control of governments.
The manuscripts of this area share certain features generated by the use of local materials, the practices of tribal indigenous cultures, as well as skills and technologies transmitted and assimilated over many generations. The new Working Group It seeks to better understand the resources, skills, technologies, innovations, and social values of the manuscript-making process in the Asian Highland areas, as well as the blurred boundaries and interactions between various manuscript traditions.
Since 2016, various members of the new group have been meeting at annual workshops at CSMC. The most recent on, 'The Body of the Spoken Word: The Interconnection of Ritual, Text and Manuscript in Bon and Naxi Traditions', took place on 24 and 25 March 2023. On this occasion, the group officially became a part of the structure of the Cluster: ‘Asian Highland Manuscripts’ is now one of now six official Working Groups at CSMC.
Working Groups bring together researchers from different Research Fields of the Cluster to work on cross-cutting issues, such as the ethical treatment of artefacts and terminological questions.
The spokesperson of ‘Asian Highland Manuscripts’ is Agnieszka Helman-Wazny. Further information on the background and aims of the group, as well as an overview of relevant publications, is available here:
