Press release: Words build bridges

No. 97 - 17.07.2026

Researchers at Göttingen University contribute to international special issue on language and culture

Researchers at the University of Göttingen have contributed to the latest issue of the international intercultural magazine Jusur. Professor Sebastian Günther, a scholar in Arabic and Islamic studies at the University of Göttingen, served as guest editor for the academic articles, whilst Professor Annette Zgoll, a scholar in Ancient Oriental studies at the University of Göttingen, contributed a specialist article. The theme of the current special issue is: “The Word for World Is Future”. It explores the role of language, words and dictionaries as repositories of cultural memory and as bridges between cultures and religions. It thus addresses a central concern of Global Humanities: the study of humanity’s cultural heritage in all its global interconnectedness and diversity.

As guest editor, Günther worked alongside the magazine’s editorial team at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan and coordinated the majority of the academic articles written by an international team of authors. Zgoll’s article unpicks the meaning of the key concepts in cultures that used “cuneiform” systems of writing and highlights the importance of new methods in the humanities, developed in Göttingen, for understanding cultures around the world.

Jusur – meaning “bridges” in Arabic – sets out to be an international forum for dialogue between cultures, religions and scholarly traditions. The current issue features articles ranging from the written and linguistic worlds of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, through Arabic, Berber, Chinese, Indian, Mongolian, Persian and Turkish linguistic traditions, to the great European lexicographical heritage. The focus is on the question of how words come into being, how they change over the centuries, and how, in doing so, they preserve, pass on and continually reinterpret cultural knowledge. The magazine is printed in Italy and made available free of charge worldwide – in particular to diplomatic missions and cultural and academic institutions.

Contact:

Professor Sebastian Günther

University of Göttingen

Faculty of Humanities

Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies

Göttingen, Germany

Tel: +49 (0)551 39-24397

Email: s.guenther@uni-goettingen.de

www.uni-goettingen.de/en/639814.html

Professor Wael Farouq

Catholic University of the Sacred Heart

Professor of Arabic Language and Literature

Milan Campus, Italy

Email: Wael.Farouq@unicatt.it