Historical Studies

Professor Emerita Caroline Walker Bynum has received the 2022 Distinguished Scholar Award from the American Catholic Historical Association (ACHA) “for a lifetime of excellence in research and scholarship in the field of medieval history.” 

By David Nirenberg, Director and Leon Levy Professor: 

"What counts as antisemitism? Is it on the rise, and if so, who’s to blame—the left or the right, Christians or Muslims? Or is it “the Jews” and their actions that are at fault, as some maintain. These questions may feel new, but the resurgence of antisemitism didn’t begin in 2022, and it’s not only happening in the U.S."

"It is a cliché to refer to the long economic boom in France that followed the Second World War—the three decades between 1945 and 1975—as les trente glorieuses. The phrase has no satisfying translation, though 'golden' hints at the éclat thrown off by the final adjective. Adopting this terminology for our ends, we might refer to the 1980s as Yve-Alain Bois’ décennie glorieuse."

Angelos Chaniotis, current Faculty in the School of Historical Studies, discusses the significance of Pope Francis' recent decision to donate fragments of the Parthenon sculptures held by the Vatican to Greece, and looks at whether this serves as an example for the British Museum to take similar action.

The Hidden Stories project, co-led by Suzanne Conklin Akbari, aims to explore the systems, peoples and cultures that make a book, including its physical and biological properties that reveal new knowledge. Everything from fungal growth on its pages to the trade routes involved in the materials used to make the book will be studied.

Myles Jackson, Albers-Schönberg Professor in the History of Science, School of Historical Studies, has been elected to the German National Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech), which advises on issues related to technical sciences and technology policies in Germany.

By Angelos Chaniotis, Professor in the School of Historical Studies:

"The Greek government’s intention to transform the country’s five most important museums – the National Archaeological Museum and the Byzantine and Christian Museum in Athens, the...