The Renaissance Studies article prize 2020 goes to Irene Galandra Cooper for ‘Unlocking “pious homes”: revealing devotional exchanges and religious materiality in early modern Naples’, vol. 33, Issue 5, pages 832-853, November 2019.
The judges noted that the article’s interdisciplinary approach and use of sources were superb, and Cooper rises impressively to the challenge of joining the dots from disparate evidence. The significance of the study was framed both in terms of its materials and the methodology used. Cooper is adept at getting to the right questions, and – importantly – answering them. Moreover, the article maintained its momentum throughout, as Cooper writes engagingly with seeming ease.
An honourable mention went to Julia McClure for ‘The Franciscans Order: Global history from the margins’, vol. 33, Issue 2, pages 222-238, April 2019, an exciting case study that points the way to future avenues of study within early modern global history.
The members of the prize committee commented: As ever, the quality was extremely high. The judges noted it was a pleasure to read all of the articles, and to see how Renaissance Studies continues to support the best new work across our disciplines.