Former undergraduate student wins 2019 Hakluyt Society Essay Prize

James Taylor has been awarded the Hakluyt Society Essay Prize 2019 for his essay, 'Gift-giving, Reciprocity and the Negotiation of Power in European Encounters with Southeast Asia, c.1500-1824'. The Society awards the Prize annually for the best entry by a graduate student of an essay based on original research in any discipline in the humanities or social sciences and on an aspect of the history of travel, exploration and cultural encounter and their effects.

James's essay, based on his 2016 Part II dissertation, explores the role of gift-giving as a diplomatic tool in the building of working relationships between European explorers and Southeast Asian rulers. He will present his research in more detail at the Society's Annual Symposium in Leiden this September.'