About
Neela Bhaskar is a Doctoral Researcher at the University of Hamburg, associated with the Cluster of Excellence 'Understanding Written Artefacts' (UWA) from 2020 to 2025. Her work focuses on manuscript studies, particularly the historical and cultural significance of the Mackenzie Collection, Tamil language preservation, and the impact of colonial history on manuscript authenticity.
Her research spans cultural heritage preservation, digital humanities, and lexicography. She has contributed to publications analyzing the Mackenzie Collection's complexities and organized academic events like the Tamilex conference (2023), addressing standardization of Tamil in the 19th century and manuscript analysis techniques.
Neela's activities include guest lectures on Tamil manuscript cultures during the British colonial period and collaborations with interdisciplinary teams. Her doctoral thesis, 'The Silent Scribes - The Mackenzie Collection and its Contributors,' highlights marginalized contributors to manuscript preservation.
