Winner: Harris, Max, and Lada Čale Feldman. “Blackened Faces and a Veiled Woman: The Early Korčula Moreška.” Comparative Drama 37, no. 3–4 (2003): 297–320.
This article examines the highly individual form and history of the moresca - mock battles between Moors and Christians - practiced on the Adriatic island of Korčula. Feldman and Harris bring together knowledge of the local context and knowledge of similar forms of ceremonial across the globe to make sense of the limited evidence. The article is a model of international collaboration between a young scholar and an established one to explore the development and political resonances of this particular ceremony.
Awards announcement and presentation took place during the annual MRDS business meeting in May at the International Congress on Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan.