Holberg International Memorial Prize 2010 and Nils Klim Prize 2010 awarded

09.06.2010

- I like to think of historians from many lands indulging in their own practices of peace-making in the second decade of the twenty first century. Not to delineate separate spaces from each other or conceal their views, but rather to work frankly toward forms of common knowledge. One such endeavour has already begun: the collaboration over the last decade among a new generation of Turkish and Armenian historians, living in Turkey, North America, and elsewhere to review and add to the documentary evidence on what all in the group regard as state-sponsored ethnic cleansing of the Armenians in 1915, and many in the group characterize as genocide according to the United Nations’ definition, said Natalie Zemon Davis in her award speech.

Natalie Zemon Davis focused on the importance of historians’ contribution in the twenty-first century in her speech of thanks in Håkonshallen in Norway Wednesday 9. June 2010.

Natalie Zemon Davis is adjunct professor of history and professor of Medieval studies at University of Toronto, and the Henry Charles Lea Professor of History Emerita at Princeton University.

This year is the seventh time that the Holberg Memorial Prize is awarded for outstanding scholarly work in the arts and humanities, social science, law and theology. The value of the prize is 785.000 Dollars (NOK 4.5 million/530.000 Euro). Minister of Research and Higher Education presented the Holberg International Memorial Prize 2010.

Excerpts from the citation of the Holberg Prize Academic Committee:
“Davis’ imaginative approach to history, coupled with intensive archival research, makes the past come alive; her fundamental method is to pursue a dialogue between the past and the present. The uniqueness of her work lies in connecting early modern Europe with new areas of comparative history, exploring cultural, geographical and religious interchange.”

The Holberg Prize, which was established by the Norwegian Parliament in 2003, is awarded annually by the Board of the Ludvig Holberg Memorial Fund. Holberg Prize Laureates: Natalie Zemon Davis (2010), Ian Hacking (2009), Fredric R. Jameson (2008), Ronald Dworkin (2007), Shmuel N. Eisenstadt (2006), Jürgen Habermas (2005), Julia Kristeva (2004). 

Johan Östling was awarded Nils Klim Prize 2010
Johan Östling, scholar at Lund University,has been awarded the Nils Klim Prize for Nordic researchers below 35 years old in the fields of social sciences, humanities, law and theology. The prize is worth 30.000 Euro/NOK 250,000. Minister of Research and Higher Education presented the Nils Klim Prize 2010.