The role of writing in the settlement of disputes in the Abbasid empire

This project aims at analyzing the role of writing in the recording and resolution of disputes in the Abbasid empire. Different from the study of medieval Europe, the processes of the introduction and dissemination of the written word in Arab and Islamic societies have as yet received very little attention. This research hopes to contribute to one of the main fields in the study on literacy, i.e. that of pragmatic literacy. The focus will be the Abbasid empire of the 8th-10th centuries, a period of particular interest for the development of Arab literacy. It saw not only an enormous increase in the production of written texts, but also the extension of a literate mentality among at least some groups within society. Studying the use of written documents in dispute settlement forms an excellent opportunity to analyze familiarity with - and confidence in - writing among the various groups which, living in different places and periods, together constituted the society of the Abbasid caliphate. Conflicts and their settlements will be studied from the perspective of how people actually dealt with them instead of limiting ones attention to public institutions of justice. To analyze both legal and extralegal institutions and means of handling conflict, historiographical sources will be used as well as legal manuals and documents. The study of the interaction between local and state institutions will also contribute to our understanding of the formation of the Islamic state and its influence on the development of pragmatic literacy.