Rassegna storica del Risorgimento

182
Vita dell'Istituto
about our relati ons with the Istituto per la Storia del Risorgimento Italiano and ite Presìdent, Alberto M. Ghisalberti. He tlianked Vincent Dardi ior the exceUent acade* mie session which had just heen compieteti. He referred to the Symposium on Modem Italy, held on Novcmbcr 7-8. 1969 at the Casa Italiana, Columbia University, under the joint sponsorship of our Society and the Seminar on Modera Italy of Columbia University.
The Executive Secretary-Treasurer made bis report on the membership and finances of the Society. There were 162 members in 1969. As of December 27, 1969 there was 977.49 in lite chceking account and 3 1,897.11 in the savings account. He discusseci the problem of Italian jouraals. Influii on is forcing an inerease in subscdption costs. A few of the jouraals bave heen published so irregularly that a decision has heen made to drop tbem rather tban vaste more of the members* money*
In the absence of Howard R. Marraro, President Delzell read the report of the Prìze Award and Citation Cpmmittee. The 200.00 prìze for the best unpublished essay or dissertation in the iìcld of Italian history by a young snholar was awarded to Dorothy Koenigsberger for ber dissertation "Front Analogy to Experìment: A Study of the Role of the Analogy Between the Whole and Ali the Parts of Nature, from the 15th lo the 17tli Centuries. " The prìze money was again made available to our Society by a generous gift from the Ameri ea-Italy Society, through the good offìces of its Executive Director, Hedy Giusii-Lanham. President Delzell then announced that the Citation for Distinguished AcMevement was awarded to Robert Sabatino Lopez of Yale University for his work in Medieval History. (The text of the Citation follows these Minutes,)
In the absence of Benjamin F. Brown, Frederic C. Lane reported for the Nomi-natìng Committee. Felix Gilbert was nominateti for President, Howard R. Marraro was nominated to the Yice-Presidency and Robert Wohl was nominateti to the Advisory Conncil. There were no further nominations and the siate presenteti by the Nomina ting Committee was elected unanimously.
A. William Salomone spoke on the Congress on the History of Anarchism held in Turìn last FaR under the sponsorship of the Einaudi Foundation. The proceedings wiU be published.
Charles F. DelzeR spoke on the nature of future academic programs of our Society and our relationsbip to the American Historical Association. Raymond Grew, Chairman of the AH A program committee for the 1970 meeting, commented on certain contemplateti changes for proposals to his committee.
The meeting was adjourneti at 5:35 p.m. .
Text of the Citation awarded Professor Robert S. Lopez. - It is hartil'y possible to tiescribe in a brief space the scholarly accomplishments of Robert S. Lopez. One of the most distinctive features of his work has been the enormous range of his intereflts, both chronological and geographicaL His studies bave il­luminateti the thousand years of medieval history from the perititi of the declining Roman empire, through the Commercial Revolution of the centrai Middle Ages. to the economie difficultles of the Renaissance. Perhaps more tban any other scholar, he has given thls tcrm the Commercial Revolution of the Middle Ages its present enrrency in the bistorieol vocabulary, and his work has helped brllliantly to rcveal its dimensioni*- GeograpbicaDy, his studies, always with perception and originnlity, bave examined the commercial history of the medieval world from India., to Byaantium, to North Africa, to Latin Europe.
Apart from the rango and wealth of his studies, there is another, cquaRy salient characteristic of Robert Lopez' scholarahip. He is known throughout the world as hifctorinn of commerce, of merchants, and of the city. Bui he has always studiati these faets of medieval Hfe with an awareness of and a sensittvity towards other aspecta of the cultural Rie of the age. A man of rich personal colture, n master of literary s.iyle in three languages, he has been oble to view and interpret medieval economie