The University of Wisconsin Press and the George L. Mosse Program in History are pleased to announce the George L. Mosse First Book Prize. The prize honors Mosse’s commitment to both scholarship and mentoring new generations of historians. Winning books will be published as part of the George L. Mosse Series in the History of European Culture, Sexuality, and Ideas, and the winning author will receive a $5,000 prize. An honorable mention winner may also be selected to receive a $1,000 prize and publication.
Skye Doney, director of the George L. Mosse Program and Mosse series editor, says, “Mosse’s pioneering work set new trends in the field of European history. Our goal with the Mosse First Book Prize is to identify and support new voices in these scholarly discussions.”
The prize aims to support and engage early-career scholars writing on topics related to the history of modern European culture, sexuality, or ideas. It will be open to original, previously unpublished monographs of historical scholarship. Only English-language works (whether written in English or translated) will be considered. Proposals for the inaugural prize will be accepted between January 15 and May 15, 2021. All submissions will be reviewed by the press and series advisers, and a short list of no more than three finalists will be chosen in summer 2021. The finalists’ manuscripts will be read by a jury of expert readers, who will select the winning project.
Nathan MacBrien, UW Press editor in chief, says, “In addition to being one of the great cultural historians of the latter twentieth century, George L. Mosse was an inspiring mentor of young scholars. The Mosse prize continues that tradition of support, while further establishing UW Press as an important outlet for work in modern European cultural history.”
Books published under the auspices of the Mosse series join a prestigious list of more than two dozen titles published by notable scholars. The first three were published in 2003—Collected Memories by Christopher R. Browning, Mosse’s own Nazi Culture, and the edited volume What History Tells. Forthcoming projects include titles on the struggle to act in the face of the Holocaust, masculinity in Italian fascist culture, and early twentieth-century pacifism. Additionally, UW Press and the Mosse Program have embarked upon the reissuing of Mosse’s Collected Works, with two titles published to date.
About the University of Wisconsin Press
The University of Wisconsin Press is a not-for-profit publisher of books and journals. With nearly 1,500 titles and over 8,000 peer-reviewed articles in print, its mission embodies the Wisconsin Idea by publishing work of distinction that serves the people of Wisconsin and the world.
About the George L. Mosse Series in the History of European Culture, Sexuality, and Ideas
The Mosse series promotes the vibrant international collaboration and community that historian George L. Mosse created during his lifetime by publishing major innovative works by outstanding scholars in European cultural and intellectual history.
About George L. Mosse
A legendary scholar, teacher, and mentor, Mosse (1918–1999) joined the Department of History at UW–Madison in 1955. He was an early leader in the study of modern European culture, fascism, and the history of sexuality and masculinity. In 1965 Mosse was honored for his exceptional teaching by being named UW’s first John C. Bascom Professor. He remained famous among students and colleagues for his popular and engaging lectures, which were often standing-room only. A Jewish refugee from prewar Germany, Mosse was appointed a visiting professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1969 and spent the final decades of his career traveling frequently between Madison and Jerusalem.