Political scientist Robert Putnam, former dean and now Malkin professor of public policy at Harvard Kennedy School, whose works include the bestseller Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, was awarded the National Humanities Medal on July 10. The medal honors “individuals or groups whose work has deepened the nation’s understanding of the humanities, broadened our citizens’ engagement with the humanities, or helped preserve and expand Americans’ access to important resources in the humanities.”
Two alumnae, both historians whose works have resonated with the general public and their professional colleagues, were honored as well. Jill Ker Conway, Ph.D. ’69, the former president of Smith College, is especially known for her trilogy of memoirs, including The Road from Coorain, True North (which includes her time at Harvard), and One Woman’s Education. Natalie Zemon Davis, A.M. ’50, LL.D. ’96, currently on the faculty of the University of Toronto, is most widely known for her book The Return of Martin Guerre. As Harvard’s 2010 Phi Beta Kappa orator, she discussed “The Possibilities of Friendship,” including an account of the birth of the study of the history of women in the late 1960s and early 1970s—in her own immediate experience, through friendship and joint study with Conway.
Their medal citations read:
- Robert Putnam, for deepening our understanding of community in America. Examining how patterns of engagement divide and unite, Dr. Putnam’s writing and research inspire us to improve institutions that make society worth living in, and his insights challenge us to be better citizens.
- Jill Ker Conway, for her contributions as a historian and trailblazing academic leader. Dr. Conway has inspired generations of scholars, and her studies of exceptional and empowered women have revealed a common drive that unites women across the globe—to create, to lead, and to excel.
- Natalie Zemon Davis, for her insights into the study of history and her exacting eloquence in bringing the past into focus. With vivid description and exhaustive research, her works allow us to experience life through our ancestors’ eyes and to engage truly with our history.
Their fellow 2012 Humanities Medal honorees included William G. Bowen, LL.D. ’73, president emeritus of Princeton and of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; novelist Joan Didion, Litt.D. ’09; Kay Ryan, Harvard’s 2012 Phi Beta Kappa poet; Robert B. Silvers, Litt.D. ’07, longtime editor of The New York Review of Books; playwright and actress Anna Deavere Smith, RI ’92; and a 2012 National Medal of Arts recipient, Ellsworth Kelly, Ar.D. ’03.
For the White House press release, click here. For additional coverage of Putnam, see this Harvard University Gazette article.
