Workshop on Reading Moroccan Judeo-Arabic
Workshop on Reading Moroccan Judeo-Arabic
UCLA Moroccan Jewish Studies Initiative
February 16, 2023
A growing constellation of students and scholars from a variety of disciplines are recognizing that greater Moroccan Judeo-Arabic reading competency would enrich research in Moroccan Jewish Studies. Typically associated with the fields of history and linguistics, anthropologists, literary scholars, folklorists and others are also giving renewed attention to prospects and difficulties of engaging with texts in Moroccan Judeo-Arabic. At the same time, limited opportunities for developing Moroccan Judeo-Arabic reading skills poses a major challenge to emerging and established scholars, especially in the United States.
Sponsered by the UCLA Moroccan Studies Initiative, this workshop offers opportunities to:
- Reflect on the historical scope of and scholarly approaches to MJA textual production into the modern period
- Consider the opportunities afforded by the increased access to MJA materials in physical and online repositories
- Develop, practice, and strengthen MJA readings skills as a foundation for ongoing research.
The workshop will include opportunities for the collaborative reading of MJA texts, focusing on materials accessible through Rabat Genizah Project.
Program
9:30 - 10:15 Welcome and Introductions
10:15 - 10:45 Collective Reading: Synagogue Bulletins
10:45 - 11:00 Break
11:00 - 12:00 Genres and Repositories Judeo-Arabic Texts
Religious Poetry
Repositories
Workshop Folder
12:00 - 12:30 Collective Reading: Jha Story;
One Thousand and One Jokes
12:30 - 1:30 Lunch
1:30 - 2:30 Reading of Selected Texts
2:30 - 3:30 Concluding Discussion