Masrad

Prior to the massive expansion of the internet’s role in publishing content, a number of small publishing houses used to reprint public domain materials and distribute them across Syria and the region. Readers would come across these publications on small newsstands in transit hubs in Damascus, Aleppo, Baghdad, or Cairo. Unfortunately, due to the events of the past decades, those publishing houses have all disappeared. The retreat of these publications made it difficult to reach Arabic-language content through non-commercial means, as such content is often scattered, incomplete, and usually polluted with advertisements. This project is a gesture of longing towards this content – such as books in Syriac, Kurdish, or other published content in languages suppressed by the nationalist regimes of the region. MASRAD comprises a group of Arabic-speaking academics and cultural practitioners in the diaspora with deep roots in their homelands, on a journey to understand the present polycrisis through the cultural heritage left to them by their ancestors, and through a strong belief in the public right to access this content in clean and high-quality forms. The group is exploring a pathway for publishing by establishing a standard for Arabic-language commons. Through this project, they will establish a digital library that follows the highest standards for ebook publishing in Arabic, in all possible file formats to simplify access by any ebook reader. The group will start by applying the methodology to a selected set of books that are in high demand but inaccessible, then establish a style guide that will allow them to continue publishing after the official end of the project’s funding.