Centre for the Study of Manuscipt Cultures

The Cluster of Excellence ‘Understanding Written Artefacts’ (UWA) at the Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) is a cross-disciplinary and international research project for the holistic study of handwritten artefacts. Our main objective is to investigate the rich diversity of global manuscript cultures beyond traditionally held boundaries of academic discipline, time, and space. Our global perspective encompasses all objects carrying handwriting, from the beginning of writing to today’s digital age.

The CSMC was established in 2012 at Universität Hamburg. Since 2019, the vast majority of the ongoing research projects at the CSMC have been organised in the Cluster of Excellence UWA. Structured in 11 Research Fields and 6 Working Groups, UWA brings together more than 150 junior and senior researchers from over 40 academic disciplines who work on around 60 current research projects. More than 50 projects have been completed already.