My project unites museum and academic experts in the fields of philology and experimental sciences. Each of the subprojects explores the paratextuality of a particular manuscript culture represented in the Chester Beatty collections (Jewish, Christian, Islamic, Buddhist). Within these traditions, philological researchers conduct empirical experiments to explore the links between paratexts and understanding. The project will culminate in the transformation of the museum’s special exhibition gallery into a curated experimental space, Words are Not Enough. The series of quantitative experiments in a public context addresses the questions and hypotheses posed by each sub-grantee working with their chosen manuscript culture(s).
