The Long History of Amanuenses in Europe, from Antiquity to the Digital Age

The techniques for making texts have changed across multiple media and historical contexts since antiquity, but a regular feature of the work of authors and scholars through all those changes is the reliance on helpers or amanuenses. Dr. Ann Blair (Harvard) will discuss the factors that have made them both invisible and occasionally visible, the kind of work they did, and offer some examples of their trajectories in a few different periods. We can ponder together how various kinds of assistance have changed in the digital age. The author's recent book will be available for purchase and signing. Dr. Blair's visit is co-sponsored by the iSchool.