TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Dan David Prize on Tuesday named nine historians as the 2024 winners of the prestigious award, with each of them receiving $300,000 to advance their research.
The winners’ areas of study are vast, from the birth of democracy in India, to the underground archive that Jews kept in the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II and the bones of Vikings found in Britain.
The Dan David Prize board said it recognized work that “illuminates the past in bold and creative ways.” An awards ceremony already took place in Italy.
“To decode the complexities of the present and face future challenges, we need to first of all better understand our past,” said Ariel David, a board member of the prize and the son of its founder, Romanian businessman Dan David. “By using innovative methods and source materials, our winners have offered us precious new historical insight.”
This year’s names include Keisha Blain from Brown University, a historian of the 20th century United States and a columnist with MSNBC, and Cat Jarman, an archaeologist and historian.
Blain’s research focuses on the roles working-class Black women played in the U.S. civil rights movement. Jarman uses scientific techniques such as carbon dating and DNA analysis to tell stories about groups like the Viking armies and English kings.
Past winners of the prize, which David set up in 2001 and is headquartered at Tel Aviv University, have included Canadian author Margaret Atwood, the cellist Yo-Yo Ma and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert.
The award has since shifted to focus on historians in the early and middle stages of their career with the idea that the prize will greatly enhance their research abilities.
The prize was also awarded this year to Benjamin Brose from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Cécile Fromont from Harvard University and Daniel Jütte from New York University, as well as Stuart McManus from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
The remaining recipients are Kathryn Olivarius from Stanford University, Katarzyna Person from the Warsaw Ghetto Museum and Tripurdaman Singh from the Geneva Graduate Institute.
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Rephrased content:
The Dan David Prize has recently announced the names of nine historians who have been selected as the recipients of the award for 2024. Each of the winners will be granted $300,000 to support their research endeavors. The diverse range of topics explored by the winners include the emergence of democracy in India, the preservation of an underground archive by Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II, and the discovery of Viking remains in Britain.
The Dan David Prize board commended the winners for their innovative and imaginative approaches to illuminating historical narratives, stating that understanding the past is crucial for addressing contemporary challenges. The awards ceremony has already taken place in Italy.
Among the distinguished winners is Keisha Blain from Brown University, known for her research on the contributions of working-class Black women to the U.S. civil rights movement. Another awardee, Cat Jarman, employs scientific methods like carbon dating and DNA analysis to uncover stories about groups such as Viking armies and English monarchs.
Established by Romanian businessman Dan David in 2001, the prize, headquartered at Tel Aviv University, has previously been granted to prominent figures like author Margaret Atwood, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and Dr. Anthony Fauci. The prize’s focus has evolved to support historians in the early and middle stages of their careers, aiming to enhance their research capabilities significantly.
This year’s recipients also include Benjamin Brose from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Cécile Fromont from Harvard University; Daniel Jütte from New York University; Stuart McManus from the Chinese University of Hong Kong; Kathryn Olivarius from Stanford University; Katarzyna Person from the Warsaw Ghetto Museum; and Tripurdaman Singh from the Geneva Graduate Institute.
