We are delighted to announce that the winner of the David H. Culbert Routledge-IAMHIST Prize for Best Article by an Established Scholar is Anandita Bajpai, and the winner of the Philip M. Taylor Routledge-IAMHIST Prize by a New Scholar is Erica Harrison
The David H. Culbert Routledge-IAMHIST Prize for Best Article by an Established Scholar
Anandita Bajpai, ‘Material Lives of Cold War Radio Pasts in India‘, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, 44: 1 (2024), pp. 86-119.
Commendation:
This article offers very original research on the material objects received by radio audiences in India from Western and Russian radio stations. It focuses on the way in which an examination of these objects gives an insight into the culture surrounding radio listenership in India and the connections between radio audiences and radio stations. There is a use of new or underused archival material as the author sought out individual private material archives of radio listeners, and also interviewed the owners of these archives regarding their experiences of the radio community.
The Philip M. Taylor Routledge-IAMHIST Prize by a New Scholar
Erica Harrison, ‘Suitcase of Soundscapes: The London Transcription Service and the Packaging of Wartime Sounds for the BBC’s Global Radio Audience‘, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, 44: 3 (2024), pp. 469-483.
Commendation:
It’s a daunting task to find something new to say about the BBC during the Second World War, but this article does exactly that by drawing on a little-known and underused archive of vinyl records (presumably created by the Czech wartime exile government / BBC’s “London Transcription Service”) and preserved today at the Czech radio archives in Prague. The author highlights three important points that add depth and nuance to our understanding of international BBC programming during the war. First, Harrison argues for the importance of music and other more mundane, realistic soundscapes as a complement to spoken-word programs. Second, she illustrates the crucial importance of adapting BBC programming to local audiences both linguistically and culturally. Second, she suggests that the efficacy of non-live programming in promoting a positive image of the Allies / the British could rival that of live programming (which has of course been the focus of most prior research).