Lausanne, 10-11 September 2020

This workshop is focused on an important challenge in digital humanities: what changes when research on ancient manuscripts occurs in a Virtual Research Environment (VRE), especially in Early Jewish and Christian Literature, New Testament, and Classical Studies? Because they offer access to diverse information regardless of geographical location, VREs continue to define the research landscape of the humanities in more complex ways. They serve as the new “covers” of scientific objects, replacing the paper covers of printed books as signs of knowledge territories. As some have suggested, VREs are likely to become the default location for critical research and other cultural activities in the very near future.

This workshop invites papers that explore the significance of VREs on the study of manuscript cultures and research in the humanities, especially papers that explore issues related to Early Jewish and Christian Literature, New Testament and Classical Studies. If you are involved in a VRE, work with manuscript cultures using digital tools, or reflect critically on these emerging research spaces, you are invited to submit to both organizers an abstract of 300 words exploring one of the following questions or related issues: how do VREs enlighten particular manuscripts or manuscript cultures? How do VREs differ from or supplement traditional research models? What critical benefits or difficulties arise in using VREs? How can research on manuscript cultures be further advanced using digital tools? What are the limitations and challenges of VREs? Selected papers will be submitted afterwards to Classics@, the CHS online journal, for a special issue co-edited by the two organisers.

Deadline: 1 December 2019; answers will be provided before the end of 2019.

Please forward your abstract to claire.clivaz@sib.swiss and garrick.allen@dcu.ie

Invited Papers on research projects:

- Garrick Allen (Dublin City University)

- Frédéric Amsler (University of Lausanne)

- David Bouvier and Ariane Jambé (University of Lausanne)

- Claire Clivaz and Mina Monier (SIB, Lausanne)

- Hugh Houghton and Catherine Smith (ITSEE, University of Birmingham)

- Antonio Loprieno (University of Basel)

- Isabelle Marthot-Santaniello (University of Basel)

- Lukas Rosenthaler (DHLab, University of Basel)

- Klaus Wachtel (INTF, University of Münster)

- Martin Wallraff and Patrick Andrist (University of München)