The Holberg Prize to Toronto professor

Natalie Zemon Davis, Professor at the University of Toronto, has been awarded the Norwegian Holberg Prize for 2010 for outstanding scholarly work, in particular her imaginative approach to history.

We quote excerpt from the citation of the Holberg Prize Academic Committee:

Natalie Zemon Davis is one of the most creative historians writing today, an intellectual who is not hostage to any particular school of thought or politics. Her writing is richly textured, multi-faceted and meticulously documented. She shows how particular events can be narrated and analyzed so as to reveal deeper historical tendencies and underlying patterns of thought and action. Her work brings gender to the fore, while insisting that the relationship between men and women is always embedded in the cultural discourses and social organizations specific to their time.

The committe says 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 International Memorial Prize is awarded annually for outstanding scholarly work in the fields of the arts and humanities, social sciences, law and theology. The prize amount is NOK 4.5 million (Appr. EUR550,000/ USD760,000).

The Holberg Prize was established by the Norwegian Parliament in 2003.

(Press release)

Rolleiv Solholm