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

The availability of book materials in conjunction with a considerable increase in the number of schools, as well as the enlargement of the class of ‘ulamā’ devoted to research, aspiring to an academic-bureaucratic career and eager for prestige and recognition, contributed to a greater articulation of the professional and social identity of the Mamluk scholar. This article aims to shed light on how the consolidation of the culture of the book and its related practices may have played a significant role not only in defining the intellectual and social identity of the Mamluk scholar and of his professional profile, but also in influencing the dynamics of cohesion and competition among the members of this group.