University of Sydney scholars dominate history prize
6 October 2009
All four finalists in the general history category for this year's NSW Premier's History Awards are from University of Sydney's history department.
The finalists are:
- Warwick Anderson, for The Collectors of Lost Souls: turning Kuru scientists into whitemen, The Johns Hopkins University Press
- Clare Corbould (pictured on home page), for Becoming African Americans: Black public life in Harlem, 1919-1939, Harvard University Press.
- Judith Keene, for Treason on the Airwaves: three Allied broadcasters on Axis Radio during World War II, Praeger Publishers.
- Iain McCalman, for Darwin's Armada: how four voyagers to Australasia won the battle for evolution and changed the world, Penguin Group.
"It is extremely gratifying that all four books nominated in the General History Prize for the NSW Premier's History Awards this year are by scholars in the Department of History - Warwick Anderson, Clare Corbould, Judith Keene and Iain McCalman," said Professor Robert Aldrich, head of the Department of History.
"These works look at medicine and disease in New Guinea, African-Americans and their historical links with Africa, cases of treason by an Englishman, an Australian and a Japanese-American in the Second World War, and scientific voyages in the Pacific in the wake of Darwin.
"These books testify to the great breadth and depth of research being carried out by University of Sydney academics, and the appeal of their works to fellow scholars, to a broader readership and to the international community."
The award finalists were announced this month by the Premier and Minister for the Arts Nathan Rees. "History enriches our knowledge of ourselves, our lives, and the communities in which we live," he said.
"I congratulate the shortlisted entrants and thank them for their invaluable contribution to the historical narrative of Australia and the world," the Premier said.
The short-listed works in the Premier's History Awards, now in their 13th year, were chosen from 182 nominations.
The awards, worth a total of $75,000, are in the categories of Australian History, General History, NSW Community and Regional History, Young People's History and Multimedia.
The winners will be announced at a presentation dinner on Tuesday, October 27, 2009 at the Mint.
Contact: Kath Kenny
Phone: 0434 606 100