Welcome by Hanya Salah, Deputy Director, Columbia Global Centers | Amman

Introduction by Matthew L. Keegan, Moinian Assistant Professor in Asian and Middle Eastern Cultures at Barnard College, Columbia University

Beatrice Gruendler, Chair of Arabic Language and Literature, Freie Universität Berlin
Bilal Orfali, Sheikh Zayed Chair of Arabic and Islamic Studies, American University of Beirut
Rima Redwan, Research Fellow, Freie Universität Berlin

This discussion will introduce Kalīla wa-Dimna, a classic of world literature. The different versions of this story in Arabic manuscripts and in dozens of other languages has made producing a definitive edition impossible. Beatrice Gruendler's ERC project is using digital tools to tackle the first comprehensive study of these divergent versions.

This conversation will be followed by Q&A.