Q&A with Matthew Dudley PhD ’25
Dudley received the university’s Theron Rockwell Field Prize for his dissertation on the early modern Cairo Geniza.
June 9, 2025
An ambitious digitization project is allowing researchers from across the globe to access a trove of 400,000 historical documents dating back to 950 CE. Historian Matthew Dudley was interested in legal systems in the Ottoman Empire and learned of the document collection, which originated from synagogues in Cairo and later went to libraries and private collections before being reunified via digitization. His research on the collection grew into his dissertation, “Into the Anti-Archives: Jewish Law, Ottoman Imperial Administration, and the Early Modern Cairo Geniza.”
In May, his work was honored at the Graduate School’s Convocation Ceremony with the Theron Rockwell Field Prize, considered to be one of the university’s most prestigious awards.
We sat down with Dudley to learn more about his research and time at Yale.
Tell us about your dissertation research. To start, what’s an “anti-archive”?
The term refers to collections of discarded documents—liturgical texts, legal papers, and state documents—that were not preserved intentionally but accumulated over time due to religious customs. In Jewish communities, sacred texts are not thrown away but stored or buried, often in cemeteries. In Cairo, the two oldest synagogues had very large chambers [genizas] that weren’t emptied on a regular basis, so the documents accrued over the course of a thousand years and were preserved in dry attic conditions.
How did you access these materials?
When physical archives closed during the pandemic, having broader digital access to documents became a silver lining. Over 70 collections of geniza fragments have been unified in a digital database, allowing researchers worldwide to collaborate. It’s one of the great success stories in improving public access to primary sources.
Are most of these texts written in Hebrew?
Many are in Hebrew and Arabic script, but the languages vary. Some are in Ladino (a descendant of Iberian Spanish written in Hebrew script), and many are in Judeo-Arabic (Arabic written in Hebrew script). There’s even some Turkish. It’s a multilingual polyglottal corpus of texts—I was fortunate to have wonderful language mentors at Yale.
How did you narrow your focus and what were some of your key findings?
I was initially interested in legal systems in the Ottoman Empire, particularly how Jewish communal courts operated alongside Ottoman Islamic courts. I found that individuals often used both systems strategically, stacking legal documents to reinforce their claims. So what's been fascinating to see from the perspective of legal history is the way that the courts could be used in unison to affect state policy and to support the state administration's daily functions, such as taxation.
What first sparked your interest in this area?
As an undergraduate at St. Lawrence University, I worked in special collections cataloging private papers from a Cuban American family as part of a thesis project. It gave me an appreciation for family archives—papers you don’t see as often in state archives. This theme of family preservation runs through my current research.
Did you study history as an undergraduate?
Yes, and I also studied Arabic through a program in Jordan. That early exposure to colloquial Arabic helped me later when reading family letters in the geniza, which often use informal language. I began learning Hebrew in graduate school and had incredible support from professors, especially Dina Roginsky.
Why did you choose Yale for graduate school?
I was drawn to Yale by the opportunity to work with Francesca Trivellato and Alan Mikhail, both leading scholars in Mediterranean and Ottoman history.
Did you have opportunities to share your work?
Yes, one of the most formative experiences I had with public-facing research was in my Ottoman Turkish class. We worked with Beinecke Library manuscripts and presented our findings in a public conference. My professor Özgen Felek later curated an exhibition based on these manuscripts that is currently showing in the Beinecke. It was rewarding to see how classroom projects could evolve into public scholarship.
How do you explain your work to a general audience?
I start with the idea of the “anti-archive.” As historians, we’re accustomed to working with intentionally preserved documents that have been passed down to us. I begin conversations with the possibilities of what has been accidentally preserved and what opportunities those materials can open up. Sometimes it’s the materials that are right in front of us that can hold so much potential.
What are your post-Yale plans?
I’m currently working as a researcher and cataloger with the Princeton Geniza Lab. It’s a wonderful collaborative environment where we’re making these sources more accessible. I’m also applying for professorial positions.
Any final thoughts?
I’m deeply grateful for my time at Yale and the mentors who guided me. The past seven years have been transformative. I’ve been surrounded by brilliant voices who’ve helped shape my thinking, and I’m excited for what comes next.