A few years before his death, in 1991, Einar Hansen established a fund for humanities research, to be awarded to researchers at Lund University and the University of Copenhagen.
“The research fund awards a prize each year to an outstanding researcher from each of the two universities, and the prize amount makes it one of the largest research prizes in the humanities. At a meeting in June, it was decided that one of the fund’s research prizes would be awarded to Professor Kerstin Enflo,” says Karin Gustavsson, Secretary of the Board of the Einar Hansen Research Fund.
The prizes will be presented at a formal ceremony at Skissernas Museum in Lund on Tuesday, 17 November.
From the citation:
“Through historical analyses, Enflo has been able to demonstrate how regional inequalities have increased and decreased over time, which, together with changing patterns of population development, has shaped Swedish social dynamics over the centuries.
Enflo bases many of her research projects on historical source material. In this context, she makes use of new technology, including machine reading of handwritten sources, which makes it possible to study a far larger body of empirical material than was previously possible. This has, among other things, enabled studies of economic inequality in the pre-industrial era.
A historical perspective on economic issues can contribute to a better understanding of future developments. At a time when economic growth and development are constantly in focus, it is important to have researchers who can explain the underlying mechanisms of economic history.”
Congratulations, Kerstin!