Exhibition Long-term research in Hamburg

Direction: Prof. Dr. Alessandro Bausi and Eugenia Sokolinski M.A.

Duration: 1 February 2016 to 31 December 2040

WHAT IS THE PROJECT ABOUT?

Beta masaheft explores the written culture of Christian Ethiopia and Eritrea. Both countries profess Christianity as well as Islam, Judaism and ethnic religions. They have a tradition dating back thousands of years of recording knowledge in handwritten books. The project is developing an online portal that describes these valuable manuscripts and collects and links a wealth of information about the materiality of the objects, the texts they contain, their authors, the bookmakers and their places of origin.

WHAT MAKES THIS TOPIC SO SPECIAL?

In Ethiopia and Eritrea, texts are still handed down in handwritten form – a cultural technique that now exists almost exclusively here. Some pre-Christian and early Christian writings that would otherwise have been lost long ago have been preserved only in the church language Geʿez. The manuscripts reveal a rich, vibrant culture and provide unique insights into the history of the region – and thus also into our shared history.

WHAT MOTIVATES THE PROJECT PARTICIPANTS PERSONALLY?

The participants establish a connection to the people who wrote texts, produced parchment or copied books over the centuries.  In this way, they discover a side of Ethiopia and Eritrea that is hardly visible in the media: a world of knowledge, art and creativity.

WHAT DOES THIS RESEARCH OFFER OTHERS?

For the first time, a digital interconnected repository on Christian book culture and literature in Ethiopia and Eritrea is being created. This is not only groundbreaking for Ethiopian studies and related subjects, but also benefits anyone interested in history and culture. Particularly important: researchers from Ethiopia and Eritrea are actively involved and thus contribute themselves to preserving their cultural heritage.

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Direction: Annika Herrmann und Thomas Hanke

Duration: 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2027

WHAT IS THE PROJECT ABOUT?

German Sign Language (DGS) is a natural, visual language with its own grammar and regional variants. It is not international, but clearly differs from other sign languages. The project documents the diversity of DGS and is creating a digital dictionary that takes regional differences into account. The basis for this is a unique language archive: the DGS corpus, which contains over 560 hours of video recordings of deaf people from all over Germany. It is currently being supplemented by a second data collection phase filming the younger generation of people using DGS.

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IN THIS WORK?

In order to show the diversity of DGS, we need to recruit signers from all regions – and they must be willing to be filmed. The recordings are done with several cameras in a studio. The follow-up work is particularly time-consuming: viewing, selecting, translating, transcribing and assigning each individual sign to a basic form so that the data can be sustainably used by science and society in the long term.

WHY DOES THIS RESEARCH TAKE TIME?

Compiling the dictionary is complex and requires a great deal of expertise. The first phase of data collection took two years: conversations and personal accounts were recorded in natural DGS at 13 locations. From this, 560 hours were selected and carefully analysed. Each sign in the recordings is recorded individually and categorised. Around 50 hours are publicly available – translated, annotated and accessible to everyone.

WHAT CAN WE UNDERSTAND BETTER THROUGH THIS PROJECT?

The project promotes understanding of the grammar and structure of DGS and preserves the personal stories of deaf people – about school, work, family or special life events. This makes their perspective more visible and contributes to a better understanding of deaf culture.

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Direction: Prof. Dr. Christian Brockmann

Duration: 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2037

WHAT IS THE PROJECT ABOUT?

We are researching the Etymologicum Gudianum, an important Greek dictionary from the 11th century. It was compiled by Byzantine scholars in southern Italy and explains the origin and original meaning of words – the so-called étymon. The aim of our project is to make this important text accessible in a printed edition and in a modern online edition – with English translations, explanations and images of the original manuscripts.

WHAT IS SO SPECIAL ABOUT THIS DICTIONARY?

We are working with a real rarity: a working manuscript that comes directly from the medieval scriptorium of Byzantine scholars. This allows us to look over their shoulders as they work. Our goal is not only to make the dictionary digitally readable, but also to facilitate the understanding of the text. In this way, we are creating a solid foundation for researchers worldwide and for anyone interested in language, history and culture.

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FOR THE RESEARCHERS?

The original manuscript is old, partly damaged and difficult to decipher. We have to carefully compare it with later Greek manuscript copies. Another sticking point is that the dictionary contains entries from many different fields, ranging from medicine to mythology. This requires constant new research and the ability to communicate complex knowledge in an understandable form.

WHAT CAN WE UNDERSTAND BETTER THROUGH THIS WORK?

Our project shows how knowledge was collected and passed on in the Greek Middle Ages. The manuscript provides a direct insight into this process – from the study of the sources to the creation of the lexicon. The Etymologicum Gudianum clearly shows how alive and relevant etymological thinking can be until today – and what it reveals about our culture and history.

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Direction: Prof. Dr. Philippe Depreux

Duration: 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2031

WHAT IS THE PROJECT ABOUT?

In the early Middle Ages, people used so-called formulae – text templates for documents or letters. These templates helped when writing legal or everyday documents. Most of them were not kept. This makes the few surviving pieces all the more valuable: they provide rare insights into the thinking and everyday life of over 1000 years ago. The project makes these texts accessible to scholars – digitally and in book form. This opens up new perspectives on legal, social, economic and cultural history.

WHAT MAKES THIS WORK PARTICULARLY EXCITING?

The Formulae reveal aspects of the Middle Ages that have hardly been seen in other sources to date. They tell of debts, requests for help and everyday conflicts. Most of what has been handed down from this period concerns the Church or the nobility. The texts, however, show how people of different origins and social ranks communicated – and make medieval life more tangible.

WHAT EXACTLY DO THE RESEARCHERS DO?

The research team transcribes the original texts word for word from the manuscripts, compares different versions, translates them from Latin and provides expert commentary. This results in a so-called critical edition. It is published digitally and as a book – so other researchers or interested parties can also work with it.

WHAT NEW INSIGHTS DOES THIS PROVIDE?

The Formulae help us understand how language, law and society developed and how written culture emerged. Thanks to the digital edition, it is also possible to trace how certain texts changed over time. This reveals how writers worked and how knowledge was passed on in the Middle Ages.

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Direction: Prof. Dr. Beáta Wagner-Nagy
Duration: 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2033

WHAT IS THE PROJECT ABOUT?

Every language is an indispensable part of humanity's cultural diversity. It is not only a means of communication, but also a key to folk memory, traditions and ways of thinking. When a language dies, a significant part of this knowledge is lost. The INEL project is dedicated to a fascinating and urgent task: researching and documenting endangered languages of Siberia. Many of these languages are now only spoken by a few people – often the last speakers. Our work is therefore the last opportunity to collect language material, ask questions and gain insight into unique cultural worlds.

WHAT MAKES YOUR WORK SPECIAL?

The collaboration and encounters with the last speakers are both emotionally and scientifically significant, especially as many young people in Siberia are increasingly switching to Russian. In addition to field research, we also use historical documents that were recorded in past centuries. These valuable archive materials offer unparalleled insights into the languages and the world of the speaker communities of that time, which cannot otherwise be reconstructed.

WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU AND YOUR TEAM DO?

We collect language recordings and texts, transcribe, analyse and research them, and make them available in digital form.

Hier folgt eine Grafik (siehe PDF)

WHAT FINDINGS HAVE YOU MADE SO FAR?

By comparing languages, we can identify changes and influences that enrich our understanding of history and migration in the region. This expands our knowledge of the structure and function of languages and illustrates the interplay between language and culture. The INEL portal enables anyone interested to conduct their own research on Siberian languages. In addition, the speaker communities from which the data originates can use these resources. Digital processing and long-term storage make the languages visible and tangible – an important step, especially when a common language is no longer a matter of course.

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Direction: Prof. Dr. Friedrich Geiger

Duration: 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2042

WHAT IS THE PROJECT ABOUT?

The terror of the Nazi regime (1933–1945) had a massive impact on music history. Musicians were marginalised, deported or forced into exile on the basis of racism, political or other reasons. The extent to which the regime suppressed musical practice has not yet been adequately researched. The project therefore explores new sources, examines biographies and works, and thus opens up new perspectives on 20th-century music. The results are incorporated into the ‘Biographical Dictionary of Persecuted Musicians‘. Building on this, we are investigating overarching themes such as jazz and Nazi persecution or the exile of musicians in individual countries in sub-projects.

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM YOUR RESEARCH FOR THE FUTURE?

We are learning more about the lives of persecuted musicians between 1933 and 1945 and discovering unknown works that can be played and heard again for the first time. We are thus learning about ideas relating to music and its interpretation. These findings help us to respond more sensitively to the role of art and artists in political conflicts. The project raises awareness of how vulnerable culture can be and shows how important it is to protect it and revive suppressed knowledge.

WHAT DOES YOUR WORK LOOK LIKE IN PRACTICE?

In the first step, we research as much biographical information as possible, search archives, reconstruct life stories and musical works. Sometimes, little more than a name is known – then a laborious search for clues begins. In doing so, we look not only at the musical work of individuals, but also at specific professional groups, for example in the fields of composition, singing or jazz. We analyse how their music was shaped by traumatic experiences of exclusion and expulsion.

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Direction: Prof. Dr. Eva Wilden

Duration: 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2046

WHAT IS THE PROJECT ABOUT?

TAMILEX is researching poems and texts in the South Indian language Tamil, which are over 2000 years old. They tell of love, heroic deeds, everyday life and faith, but linguistically they differ greatly from modern Tamil. This poetry is among the oldest literary works in the world, but is hardly known in the West. For the first time, a historical dictionary is being created that is linked to a digital collection of texts and images of old manuscripts.

WHAT MAKES THIS RESEARCH SO VALUABLE?

The poems reveal feelings and thoughts that still resonate today. They offer deep insights into human experiences – across time and cultural boundaries. The dictionary helps to better understand the complex language and preserves knowledge for future generations. In this way, the world of ancient Tamil poetry remains alive and accessible.

HOW DOES MODERN TECHNOLOGY HELP?

For example, we use UV or infrared light to make faded letters in damaged manuscripts visible again – characters that are barely recognisable to the naked eye. The project is also experimenting with AI-supported deciphering of handwriting to speed up the evaluation process. This makes texts easier to research and digitally preserve so that they become accessible worldwide.

WHAT NEW PERSPECTIVES ARE EMERGING?

The language of ancient Tamil poetry has changed over time. The dictionary shows when and how certain words were used and how their meanings changed. All terms are directly linked to text passages, which in turn lead to the original manuscript images. This allows language to be traced directly back to its historical sources – a window into the past that is available to everyone.

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