The Award
The David Morgan Memorial Prize is given for an outstanding article published in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society on any topic in Asian Studies by an early career scholar. The author of the award-winning article receives a £200 cash prize.
About the Prize
The Prize has been generously offered by Professor Peter Frankopan in memory of Professor David O. Morgan, who passed away in October 2019, and in recognition of Professor Morgan’s dedication to supporting emerging scholars.
For the purposes of this award, an early career scholar is defined as either currently working towards a doctorate or within 10 years of their successful defence of their doctoral dissertation. Authors will be asked to indicate whether they are eligible for the prize upon submission of their article to the JRAS and the prize is awarded intermittently as and when an eligible, meritorious article is published.
Professor Morgan (1945–2019), an expert on the Mongol Empire, was Reader in the History of the Middle East at SOAS and Professor of History and Religious Studies at the University of Wisconsin. He also served as the Editor of the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society from the late-1980s until the start of the tewenty-first century. Through his editorship of the JRAS and his own exceptional research, David introduced a wide audience to the history, thoughts and values of the Mongols, in particular, and other Asian cultures, more generally.
David’s impact on learning and thought went far beyond publishing. He also made it his particular mission to nurture a sense of enquiry and constructive critical thought amongst undergraduates, doctoral students, and early career colleagues.
Latest Recipients
Awarded in 2022
Winner
Simon Berger
for the article Chinggis Khan Defeated: Plano Carpini, Jūzjānī and the Symbolic Origins of the Mongol Empire
Joint runners-up
Ali Karimi
for the article The Bazaar, the State, and the Struggle for Public Opinion in Nineteenth-Century Afghanistan
Jonathan Lawrence
for the article The Arabic and Persian Manuscript Collection of Sir William Jones