The Book in the Professional and Social Life of Scholars and Literati in the Mamluk Period

Abstract

This article aims to investigate how the spread of the culture of the book in the Mamluk period introduced significant changes in the professional and social life of the class of scholars and writers who were particularly interested in this sector as producers and users. It will also attempt to analyse how the consolidation of this culture and its related practices may have contributed not only to defining more clearly the intellectual and social identity of the Mamluk scholar and of his professional profile, but also to influencing significantly the dynamics of cohesion and competition among the members of this group.