The ZMO special collection: history and goals for utilization
Foreword: The Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient is an independent research institute and part of the Geisteswissenschaftlichen Zentren Berlin e.V. It has been a member of the Leibniz-Gemeinschaft since January 2017. It is the only research institution in Germany that deals with the Middle East, Africa, Eurasia, South and Southeast Asia in an interdisciplinary and historical comparative perspective. The focus of the research is the interaction between predominantly Muslim societies and their relationships with non-Islamic neighboring regions.
History: The ZMO emerged from a branch of the GDR Academy of Sciences, namely the Institute for General History/History of Developing Countries. The direct predecessor of the ZMO was the Forschungsschwerpunkt Moderner Orient (FSP-MO). Bequests from deceased employees were incorporated into the library founded in 1992 if they involved books/offprints/gray literature; papers from the bequests were kept as part of the library's collection (e.g. Höpp, Herzog, Petra and Jochen Heidrich). In addition, there were purchases (e.g. Krüger and archival reproductions with DFG funds) as well as donations (Fritz and Gertraud Steppat, Ende), whose books were intended to supplement and expand the academy's holdings in the early days and to provide source material for new research. Initially only individual bequests or donations did not come from the academy environment, but did relate to the ZMO's research topics. Over time, these stocks became more numerous (Schmidt, Vocke, Zielke, Albach, Weiss, Eisener, Harik, Mernissi).
The early estates in particular are closely related to the history of the institute and the transition from the academy via the funding association for new scientific projects (set up and supervised by the Max Planck Society) and the FSP-MO to a Geisteswissenschaftliches Zentrum from January 1st. 1996. Together with the extensive holdings of West German origin, they depict the German research landscape in relation to the research regions as well as the establishment and institutionalization of this research. Part of this institute's history can be found in the original files of the FSP-MO that remained in the secretariat before the founding of the GWZ. Other institute files include the holdings of Achim von Oppen, who was a research assistant at the institute from 1996 and its deputy director from 2001 to 2007. These files are also supplemented by the posters and audio files for the exhibition and conference “Divided.United.Global. “From research in divided Germany to research without borders”, which was carried out at the institute 20 years after the FSP-MO was founded.
Taken together, the holdings offer the opportunity to trace East and West German research history over decades and to research connections between the actors in the various holdings, which often overlap. Although our goal is to open the special collection, some materials (correspondence, reports, etc.) must currently remain blocked for use in compliance with personal rights.
Structure: Today the holdings of the ZMO special collection are divided into five areas:
A: Bequests and bequests, donations from researchers (written collection material, excluding books)
B: Reproductions of archive material (purchases and holdings that only contain these reproductions)
C: Newspaper collection (Arabic daily newspapers)
D: Institute history (FSP-MO, ZMO/AvO, GVG)
E: Small stocks (other)
Significance: The archive material is primarily of non-governmental provenance and is of great importance for research into international historical, anthropological and cultural topics. Unique holdings come from important scientists and professors (A). The reproductions from international archives (especially from South Asia), which are acquired in connection with research projects or directly (especially with third-party funds), offer many international scientists access to historical sources that they would otherwise have difficulty or not get at all (B). The collection of Arabic daily newspapers is authentic visual and research material for students and researchers.
And files on the institute's history document the transition from regional science-oriented historical research to an interdisciplinary transnational approach, which is currently heavily focused on Muslim societies (D).
The ZMO's special collection is of lasting value and is aimed primarily at research users. Both the existing holdings and new additions are based on their research potential, relevance and quality. However, the ZMO's active collection activities are currently severely limited because there is not enough space for storage. In addition, currently there are development backlogs that cannot be eliminated in the foreseeable future with the existing staff.
Usage: Our usage concept envisages opening up the existing holdings to research as much as possible and making their potential more widely known than before. The catalog data of all archival materials that have been indexed in an electronic finding aid since 2007 - with a large part of the data sets already linked to the digital copies of the documents - were transferred to an institutional repository in 2023. Where it is legally harmless, digital copies (scans) are linked to the metadata in the repository so that they can be viewed regardless of location. In some cases this is already possible (especially Gerhard Höpp inventory). In other cases, only the metadata is currently online as a finding aid. The aim is to record all holdings digitally and to link as many digital copies as possible. When selecting the scans, in addition to the rights situation, the relevance for research and the conservational condition of the originals will be crucial. The time frame for implementing these goals is determined by the institute's personnel and budget situation.