William Chester Jordan (History, emeritus), director of the Humanities Council’s Program in Medieval Studies, has received the 2024 Barry Prize for Distinguished Intellectual Achievement from the American Academy of Sciences and Letters. The prize is the organization’s premier recognition of excellence in scholarship.
“Bridging the social, economic, religious, and political dimensions of life, William Chester Jordan has unlocked the mysteries of medieval Europe for contemporary readers,” the academy said in its citation. “His scholarship has deepened our understanding of such critical historical events and developments as the Great Famine, the Crusades, the treatment of Jewish populations, the contributions of women to premodern economies, and the legal systems of medieval monarchies.”
Jordan, who has received numerous honors and awards throughout his illustrious career, has written extensively on 13th-century rulership but is also known for a type of scholarship that has been called “history from under,” which focuses on the archival study of people often left out of historical accounts. His current book project focuses on the economic and social experiences of rural migrant laborers in northwestern continental Europe in what he said is sometimes called “the long 13th century,” from about 1180 to the Black Death.
This year, Jordan was also awarded the 2024 Award for Scholarly Distinction from the American Historical Association.
