Bancroft Prize
1 appearances
Pekka Hämäläinen
ペッカ・ヨハネス・ハマライネン
Pekka Johannes Hämäläinen
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1967-01-01 （Helsinki, Finland）
- Nationality
- Finland
- Languages
- Finnish, English
Career
- Occupations
- Historian, University professor, Academic
- Active Years
- 2001-
- Affiliations
- Texas A&M University, University of California, Santa Barbara, University of Oxford (Rhodes Professor of American History), St Catharine's College, Oxford
- Memberships
- Fellow of the British Academy
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Helsinki | — | History | Ph.D. | 1990s–2001 | Finland |
University of Helsinki
History
Degree:
Ph.D.
Period:
1990s–2001
Year of Graduation:
2001
Country:
Finland
Ph.D. awarded in 2001
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Bancroft Prize | The Comanche Empire | — | Columbia University/Bancroft Prize Committee | winner |
| 2009 | Merle Curti Award | The Comanche Empire | — | Organization of American Historians (Merle Curti Award) | winner |
| 2009 | Cundill Prize | The Comanche Empire | — | Cundill Prize (McGill University) | runner-up |
| 2008 | Kate Brocks Bates Award | The Comanche Empire | — | — | winner |
| 2009 | Caughey Western History Association Prize | The Comanche Empire | — | Western History Association | winner |
| 2023 | Fellow of the British Academy (FBA) | — | — | The British Academy | elected |
Bancroft Prize
2009
Work:
The Comanche Empire
Organization:
Columbia University/Bancroft Prize Committee
Result:
winner
Merle Curti Award
2009
Work:
The Comanche Empire
Organization:
Organization of American Historians (Merle Curti Award)
Result:
winner
Cundill Prize
2009
Work:
The Comanche Empire
Organization:
Cundill Prize (McGill University)
Result:
runner-up
Kate Brocks Bates Award
2008
Work:
The Comanche Empire
Result:
winner
Caughey Western History Association Prize
2009
Work:
The Comanche Empire
Organization:
Western History Association
Result:
winner
Fellow of the British Academy (FBA)
2023
Organization:
The British Academy
Result:
elected
Awards & Nominations
Cundill History Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 2 (2009) Winner
Works
Major Works
The Comanche Empire
2008 History (scholarship) 512 pagesReinterprets Comanche dominance of the Southern Plains (late 18th–early 19th centuries) as an 'empire', analyzing the role of military power and equestrian culture in forming political and economic networks.
Indigenous historyImperial dynamicsColonialism and resistanceEquestrianism and warfare
When Disease Makes History: Epidemics and Great Historical Turning Points
2006 History (history of disease) 314 pagesExamines how epidemics have produced major historical turning points and their social and political consequences through case studies.
History of diseasePublic healthSocial change
Major Problems in the History of North American Borderlands
2011 History (edited volume/teaching) 568 pagesAn edited textbook/reader collecting key themes and sources in borderlands history, co-edited with Benjamin H. Johnson.
Borderlands historySource criticismTeaching
Lakota America: A New History of Indigenous Power
2019 History (Indigenous history) 542 pagesTraces Lakota history from the 17th to 20th centuries, emphasizing their political and military power and arguing for aspects of Lakota statehood/empire; the book received mixed reception from historians and Indigenous scholars.
Indigenous political powerReassessing empireRelations with colonialism
Indigenous Continent: The Epic Contest for North America
2022 History (synthesis) 571 pagesA synthetic reinterpretation of North American history that highlights the political and military roles of Native American nations and challenges Eurocentric narratives; received mixed critical responses.
Historical synthesisIndigenous agencyReevaluation of colonization
Bibliography
- The Comanche Empire. 2008.
- When Disease Makes History: Epidemics and Great Historical Turning Points. 2006.
- Major Problems in the History of North American Borderlands (co-edited). 2011.
- Lakota America: A New History of Indigenous Power. 2019.
- Indigenous Continent: The Epic Contest for North America. 2022.
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Scholarly, ethnohistorical approachArgumentative and synthetic writing that reevaluates established narratives
- Recurring Motifs
- Indigenous agency and political powerReconsideration of 'empire'Equestrian culture and military power
Legacy
Known for challenging conventional narratives of North American history by emphasizing Indigenous political and military roles. Praised for The Comanche Empire (awarded multiple prizes), while later syntheses like Lakota America and Indigenous Continent drew mixed responses from scholars and Indigenous critics.
Academic Societies
- The British Academy
Trivia
- Born 1967 in Finland; historian specializing in Indigenous North American history.
- Holds the Rhodes Professorship of American History at the University of Oxford.
- Won the Bancroft Prize for The Comanche Empire.