About The Persian Manuscripts Association
The Persian Manuscripts Association (PMA) is an international academic organisation dedicated to the study of manuscripts from the vast Persianate world. It was founded by Shiva Mihan in 2021, in response to the particular challenges and complexities associated with accessing and studying Persianate manuscript material today, and the resulting need for increased communication and cooperation across multiple fields.
We are an institution fiercely dedicated to supporting interdisciplinary research and discourse in Persian studies across all relevant fields, including but not limited to history, literature, music, art, architecture, archaeology, codicology, paleography, philosophy, and the sciences.
In 2024, we established the PMA Press, a scholarly imprint which publishes academic monographs, conference proceedings, and Shamsa, our peer-reviewed academic journal.
The PMA has four main objectives:
- To organise biannual conferences and regular talks (delivered in English and Persian), fostering increased dialogue between scholars of the Persianate world.
- To Publish scholarly articles via our peer-reviewed journal, Shamsa, as well as monographs and conference proceedings through the PMA Press.
- To facilitate researchers’ access to crucial resources held in Iran and globally.
- To offer awards and support graduate students and early-career scholars in the field.
The PMA is and will remain a non-profit, non-political, and non-governmental organisation.
We are funded by our members through annual dues, and crucially supported by our donors.
For more information about a PMA Membership, see here.