The 29^TH MGSA SYMPOSIUM

The 2026 Vasiliki Karagiannaki Prize for the Best Edited Volume in Modern Greek Studies

The 2026 Vasiliki Karagiannaki Edited Book Prize has been awarded to Nikos Christofis, editor of History & Historiography in Greece: Recent Trends (Oxford, New York: Berghahn Books, 2025). A prize committee comprised of four members-- Sakis Gekas, Chair (York University, Toronto), Myrto Grygoroglou (University of Toronto), Johanna Hanink (Brown University), and Tom Papademetriou (Stockton University)--carefully evaluated all submissions and reached its final decision only after much discussion. 

Originally conceived at the 2019 MGSA Symposium in Sacramento, the volume History and Historiography in Greece: Recent Trends brings together some of the most accomplished historians of Greece for an encompassing and much-needed reflection of the historiographical approaches, ideas, and schools that have shaped the field of Greek history. Reaching from the early development of Greek historiography in the nineteenth century to the influence of postmodernism on historical writing about Greece, and from economic history to oral history, public history and Ottoman studies, the volume offers a wide-ranging assessment of the field and its evolution.  It will be a valuable resource for courses in Modern Greek Studies, while also advancing further research and providing a solid foundation for undergraduate and graduate students and researchers.

The Committee has also selected Tarik Tuten to receive an Honorable Mention for his edited volume titled, Conversation in the Library, Volumes I & II (Istanbul; Rhodes: Hafiz Ahmed Ağa & Ahmed Fethi Paşa Foundation, 2025). Conversation in the Library brings together scholars from different fields to explore the library as a place of encounter, memory, and exchange. Centered on the historic Hafız Ahmed Ağa Library in Rhodes, its two volumes move from the remarkable story of Şemsinur and the intertwined histories of the Aegean and Ottoman worlds to traditions of libraries, learning, and Greek, Ottoman/Turkish, Armenian, and Jewish manuscript cultures. At a time when most of us scroll and spend our lives on screens, the collection reminds us of the enduring value of rare books and libraries, and of the convivial conversation and reflection they inspire. 

The prize comes with an award of $1,000 to the winner. It will be presented at the Award Ceremony of the 29th MGSA Symposium on Thursday, October 15, 2026, at the University of Illinois Chicago.

We sincerely thank all the entrants for sharing their work with the MGSA, and we also greatly appreciate the support of book publishers, who honor the MGSA’s book prize and further first rate and innovative scholarship in our field.