Australian award for Israeli academic
Sydney’s Macquarie University has awarded its Vice-Chancellor’s Distinguished Visiting Fellowship 2015 to Professor Irad Malkin, Chair of Mediterranean History and Culture at Tel Aviv University.
The Fellowship is reserved for only the most eminent, globally celebrated scholars. Last year Professor Malkin also won the Israel Prize for history, which is commonly known as Israel’s Nobel Prize.
Irad Malkin
The Fellowship recognizes Professor Malkin’s groundbreaking contributions to historical methodology, in particular his theory of ‘networks’, ethnicity and identity. His work has revolutionised the understanding of how ancient societies interacted, and how communities connected and maintained their distinctive cultural and social networks.
“I am delighted to award the Fellowship to Professor Malkin, and this was yet another step in furthering the close relationship between Macquarie and Tel Aviv University,” said Macquarie University’s Vice-Chancellor Professor S. Bruce Dowton.
Professor Malkin will visit Australia as a guest of the Program for the Archaeology of Ancient Israel, recently established at Macquarie under Dr Gil Davis. The program has already enjoyed great success with this year over 200 students studying Macquarie’s courses and a further 250 through the Open University of Australia. In addition, the course runs archaeological digs at sites in Jerusalem and Tel Azekah with 25 Macquarie students participating in the most recent season.
Professor Dowton praised the success of the program: “It is wonderful to see the level of community support including from the Jewish Board of Deputies and very generous donors. I am looking forward to seeing the program expand, especially with its new outreach initiative teaching the archaeology and history of Ancient Israel into schools.”
Professor Malkin will teach some of Macquarie’s courses as well as lecturing at the University of Sydney and the University of Melbourne. A major public lecture will also be held at Macquarie University at 6pm on Wednesday, 2 September on the topic of ‘Promised lands: Greek and Hebrew migration’. The lecture is open for all to attend.
Well, good luck to Professor Malkin at University of Sydney!! The attitude of Macquarie University in ignoring politics and focussing on academic excellence is something University of Sydney should note.