left to right: Prof. Vicki-Ann Cremona, Prof. Frans Ciappara, Prof. Conrad Thake, Prof. Roger Ellul-Micallef, Daniel Meilak, Ernest Vella, and Prof. Yosanne Vella
Three academics from the University of Malta have carried away prizes from the Malta Historical Society Scholarly Publication Awards for 2018, for scholarly publications appearing in national and international journals that were published between January 2016 and December 2017.
Prof. Conrad Thake won the category ‘Scholarly Publication Award’ for his paper: ‘Envisioning the Orient – The new Muslim Cemetery in Malta’, published by Brill, Holland in Muqarnas, An Annual on the Visual Cultures of the Islamic World, 2016. Prof. Thake is Associate Professor of Art and Art History in the Faculty of Arts, Two other submissions, out of the fourteen presented in this category, were deemed worthy of Honorary Mentions.
Prof. Frans Ciappara was recognised for his paper ‘Conversion Narratives and the Roman Inquisition in Malta, 1650-1700’ published by the RHA Religious History Association, Australia in the Journal of Religious History, v. 40, no. 4, December 2016. Prof. Ciappara is a member of the International Institute of Baroque Studies.
Prof. Vicki Ann Cremona, Chair of the UM School of Performing Arts, also received a mention for her paper ‘Costume in Carnival: Social Performance, Rank and Status’ published by Intellect, UK in Studies in Costume and Performance (2016). Fourteen papers were submitted in this category.
The category ‘Scholarly Publication Award – Emerging Historians’, was won by Mr Daniel Meilak, author of the paper ‘David versus Goliath and the Apotheosis of Malta’, published in Melita Historica, 2016. Two other submissions deemed worthy of Honorary Mention were awarded to Ms Chiara Cecalupo for her paper titled ‘La Riscoperta Seicentesca delle Catacombe di Malta’ published in Rivista di Archeologia Cristiana, XCIII, 2017 and to Mr Ernest Vella for his paper titled ‘A stratigraphic study of the giren at Ix-Xagħra l-Ħamra, limits of Mellieħa, Malta’, published in the Malta Archaeological Review 2012-2013 (2017). Nine papers were submitted in this category.
The Malta Historical Society award recognises those essays that have made a distinct contribution to Maltese historical studies. Furthermore, in order to encourage emerging scholars in the field of historical research, the Society also presents an award to recognize first-time publications, which have made a contribution to the field.
The MHS Awards event was held at the Refectory Hall of the Archbishop’s Curia in Floriana. The awards ceremony was preceded by a lecture given by Dr Noel Buttigieg on Fragments of an 18th Century Food Culture: The Curia Refectory. The awards were generously sponsored by MAPFRE Middlesea and The Alfred Mizzi Foundation, while the occasion was kindly supported by the Archdiocese of Malta. The trophies were designed by Walter Vella.
