philological encounters 1 (2016) 1-3

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Introducing Philological Encounters

Islam Dayeh
Freie Universitt Berlin
islamdayeh@zedat.fu-berlin.de

Philological Encounters is both the title of this journal and a scholarly

perspective. If we agree that philology, as a critical method, is inseparable from
any textual tradition, then wherever texts exist, a method of making sense of
them exists as well. What forms did these methods take across the globe before
and during the encounter with European philology? How do salient aspects
of the philological method, such as care for textual difference and variation,
attention to contingency and change, and the need to make texts accessible
and available, appear in these non-European philologies, and what has become
of them after this encounter?
Philological Encounters began before this journals establishment. The idea
of dedicating a journal to the study of philology from a global and compara-
tive perspective emerged out of a series of seminars, conferences and inter-
national academies organized by the research program Zukunftsphilologie:
Revisiting the Canons of Textual Scholarship (Forum Transregionale Studien
and Freie Universitt Berlin). Since its inception in 2010, Zukunftsphilologie
has supported research in marginalized and undocumented textual practices
and literary cultures. The programs objective is integrating texts and scholarly
traditions from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, as well as from Europe itself,
through a critical recuperation of the craft of philology. Zukunftsphilologie
strives to do this through two main strategies: first, by fostering research on
understudied (mostly non-European) textual practices and methods in order
to expand the canon of philological scholarship; and second, by critically
examining the genealogies and genetic conditions of philological practice
throughout the world.
A European/non-European dichotomy has shaped much of the debate about
the discipline of philology thus far. Conscious of the risks of being entrapped
by this bipolarization, Zukunftsphilologie sought to expand the scope of inquiry
into encounters across Asia and Africa. Our notion of Philological Encounters
refers to the careful study of intellectual exchanges between professionals and

koninklijke brill nv, leiden, 5|doi 10.1163/24519197-12340024

2 Dayeh

interpreters of texts, languages and cultures across the globe. This approach
outlines an avenue of research dedicated to the study of tension, antago-
nism and polemicas well as fascination, cooperation, appropriation and
friendshipthat transpired as a consequence of the meetings of scholars
and the convergence of their modes of textual scholarship. Our attention
to philological encounters is therefore not meant to flatten out asymmetri-
cal situations caused by colonialism and imperialism, but rather to histo-
ricize these situations and account for them from a global and comparative
perspective.
These aforementioned issues have emerged in the context of discussions
about methodological pluralism and philological universals. Yet other discus-
sions have emerged from ethical and political considerations. In light of the
appalling record of philology in its most recent actual history, what responsi-
bilities lie upon us as scholars today as we try to recuperate philology for the
future? What role could philology play in achieving justice and freedom, and
how could philology be cultivated as a method of scholarly resistance to the
one-dimensional, essentializing and inhumane views that persist today?
Philological Encounters aims to be a platform for such discussions. As the
first journal of its kind dedicated to the historical and philosophical critique of
philology, it is open to contributions in all fields studying the history of textual
practices, hermeneutics and philology, displaced philologies, philological con-
troversies, and the intellectual and global history of writing, archiving, tradition-
making and publishing. The journal is neither confined to any discipline nor
bound by any geographical or temporal limits. Rather, the focus lies on the
philological problematic.
With the aim of complementing already well-established and erudite dis-
ciplinary journals, Philological Encounters locates itself at the intersections
between philological disciplines, eliciting interdisciplinary and metaphilologi-
cal investigation. The journal is open to theoretical contributions on philologi-
cal concepts and methods as well as their application to particular texts and
traditions. We welcome innovative and critical contributions in the form of
articles and review articles (preferably of two or three related books from dif-
ferent disciplines). We also welcome special issues on particular themes or
debates. Moreover, we plan to publish translations of important critical arti-
cles on philology written in languages other than English.
The fourteen articles presented in this inaugural volume vary in theme,
genre and style, ranging from programmatic essays to critical surveys and
case studies. Engaging various theoretical and historical perspectives from
diverse vantage points, the articles are exemplary of the envisaged breadth,

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Introducing Philological Encounters 3

scope and inclusiveness of this journal. Philological Encounters is not only an

invitation to a critical reflection on philological encounters of the past but also
a hopeful contribution to our encounters today and to the shape and meaning
of philologies yet to be.

Islam Dayeh

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