Presidential Address
Barbara D. Metcalf presented her presidential address: “Islam and Power in Colonial India: The Making and Unmaking of a Muslim Prince(ss)” at the AHA’s General Meeting last night. In her address she told of Shah Jahan Begam, the third female ruler of the Bhopal state of India, and how she navigated Islamic religious traditions, colonialism, and the complexities of power. The address will be printed in the February 2011 issue of the American Historical Review, or you can listen to the audio of it here now:

Awards
Preceding the presidential address, AHA President-Elect Anthony Grafton presented 20 book prizes, numerous teaching prizes, awards for scholarly distinction, and other honors.

Grafton noted that three prizes were being presented for the first time. They included the Raymond J. Cunningham Prize for the best article written by an undergraduate student (presented to Hailey Giczy, 2009 graduate Chapman Univ.), the Martin A. Klein Prize in African History (presented to Ghislaine Lydon, UCLA), and the Equity Awards (presented to an individual, George Sanchez, Univ. of Southern California, and an institution, Dept. of History, Baruch Coll., CUNY). He also noted the John Richards Prize in South Asian History has been formally accepted (see yesterday’s post on Council decisions), and will have its first deadline this May 16, 2011.

See the complete list of recipients, as noted in the November issue of Perspectives on History.

This post first appeared on AHA Today.