John Taylor, Professor of Economics at Stanford University and developer of the "Taylor Rule" for setting interest rates | Stanford University
John Taylor, Professor of Economics at Stanford University and developer of the "Taylor Rule" for setting interest rates | Stanford University
Kathryn Olivarius, an assistant professor of history at the Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences, has recently been awarded the Dan David Prize for her work on disease, citizenship, and economics in 19th-century United States. Olivarius, along with eight other scholars, received the prize at a gathering in Italy.
The Dan David Prize is recognized as the largest history prize globally. According to its award citation, it acknowledges breakthrough research on historical subjects. The prize is awarded by the Dan David Foundation and focuses on early- and mid-career historians, art historians, archaeologists, digital humanists, and others who contribute creatively to public knowledge and understanding of the past. Each recipient receives $300,000 to support their work.
Olivarius' research examines how disease intersects with broader economic and social history themes. Her 2022 book "Necropolis: Disease, Power, and Capitalism in the Cotton Kingdom" (Harvard University Press) discusses how yellow fever exacerbated inequality in 19th-century New Orleans. The book has won several awards including the Frederick Jackson Turner Award from the Organization of American Historians, the Prize in American History from the American Historical Association, the Simkins Prize from the Southern Historical Association, and the Broussard Prize from the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic.
Olivarius' upcoming project will explore themes related to shame and syphilis during and after the U.S. Civil War.
“I am truly honored to be a recipient of the 2024 Dan David Prize in recognition of my work on disease and capitalism,” Olivarius said. “I am deeply thankful to my family, colleagues, and students who remind me every day why I love being a historian and push me to think bigger and more creatively about the past. I can't wait to take this energy into my next project.”
Three other Stanford faculty members have previously received this prestigious award: William T. Newsome (2004), Marcus Feldman (2011), and Michel Serres (2013). Other notable laureates include immunologist Anthony Fauci (2021), author Margaret Atwood (2010), former U.S. Vice President Al Gore (2008), and cellist Yo-Yo Ma (2006).
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