The PMA is a non-profit organisation, funded by its members through annual dues. 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.
The PMA has four main objectives:
- To organise regular online workshops, conferences and codicological training courses;
- To publish members’ manuscript findings, archival reports and research summaries in realtime, citable blog-post form;
- To provide modest grants for copyright permissions, digital image acquisition and research travel;
- To establish an international database of scholars, curators and librarians to contact for collaboration and research assistance.
Once critical membership mass is achieved, the PMA will also launch an online, open-access, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to the professional and efficient publication of members’ research.
The membership year runs from January to December, but new applications are welcome at any time. Annual membership gives access to all of the above benefits.