Rassegna storica del Risorgimento

172
Vita dell'Istituto
charter fliglits Bponsorcd by the American Association o( University Professore (AADP). The AAUP will sponsor two round trip llights to Rome this coming su minor, onc leaving on Jone 15, 1972 and rcturning on August 15, 1972; the other leaving on July 20, 1972 and rcturning on Auguet 30, 1972.
The Executive Secreta ry-Trca6urer then brought up the prospect of finandal costa to our Society. Ali clerica!, postage and stationery co6ts have been covered by the budget ol the Center for Iialian Studies of the University of Connecticut. This University, as la the case of other insti tu tions of higher learning, is now going througli a period of iinancial stringency and budgets are very tight. It is possi ble that some of the funds of the Society may have to be expended to cover some of these costs, especially postage costa, in the future. President Gilbert remarked that he saw no reason to object to that. The Secretary's report was accepted as read.
William J. Bouwsma then reported for the Prize Award and Citation Conunittee. He announced that the 200.00 prize for the best unpublisbed manuscript submitted by a young scholar was awarded to Richard T. Rapp, of the State University of New York* Stony Brook, for hie manuscript entitled Industry and Economie Decline in Seventeenih Century Fenice. (The test of the announcement follows these minutes). The prize money was a gain raade available by the generosity of the America-Italy Society through the good offices ol its Executive Director, Hedy Giusti-Lanham. No citation to a distinguished senior scholar was made this year because of the time pressures faced by the Conunittee.
V incent I lardi reported for the Nomina li ng Commi l tee. He nominated Shepard B. Clough for President, William J. Bouwsma for Vice-Presi dent, and Robert Brentano for membership on the Advisory Council. No nomination were made from the floor and the above nominees were declared elected unanimously.
George Baer suggested that the Society distribute to ita members a list of ali the ardii ves in Italy that were open to scholars for archi vai research. Eric Cochrane remarked that the Fulbright Commission in Rome had sudi a list available. The Executive Secretary was reqnested to write to Miss Cipriana Sceiba in Rome, to obtain the list, if possible, and reproduce it for disirihution to the members.
President Gilbert discusseci the planning for an internalional symposium to celebrate the birtli of Muratori. A eimilar meeting will take place in Italy in Sep-lember, 1972. He suggested that he and incoming President Clough organize a com-mittee to pian a meeting in the United States. The suggestion was approved by those present.
Mr. John La Corte of the Italian American istorical Society spoke on die work of bis Society.
The meeting ended al 5:10 p. ni. .
Motivazione del Premio: The Prize Award and Citation Conunittee of the So­ciety for Italian Historical Studies is pleased to make its award for 1971 to Professor Richard T. Rapp, of the Department of History al the State University of New York at Stony Brook, for his manuscript entitled Industry and Economie Decline in Seventeenih Century Fenice.
In this well-written study, Professor Rapp has investigated the response of Venetian industry to the increasingìy competitive conditions of the seventeenih cen­tury; and, with bolli ter lini cai and concepiti al sopitisi icalion, he has demonstrated that the allcged dedine of Venice was only relative, not absolnte. His work revealea in the Venetian economy a resiliency that enabled it to shift from production for internalional market to the supply of domesiic needs, so that Venice experienced no decline in Bving standard*. Along the way he has mach to say of interest for onr undestanding of Venetian guildn, the character and distribution of the labor force, the economie poliriee of the Venetian government, ond the conditimi of the Enropean market and industriai tcdinology in the seventeenih century. He inakes impressive use of statistica! evidence coropiled from previously nncxploited archival material,