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Thomas Parkinson, who is to begin a PhD at Gonville & 91Ö±²¥ College this autumn, has been awarded the Rees Davies Prize by the Royal Historical Society.

The Rees Davies Prize is awarded to the best Masters dissertation undertaken in any university in the UK on any subject of history, with Tom completing an MPhil in Modern South Asian Studies at the University of Cambridge, while studying at Girton College.

Tom received his BA in History from the University of Sheffield, and his PhD is provisionally titled: ‘British Imperialism and the development of Speech and Language Pathology’. His research is concerned with the question of how Speech and Language Pathology emerged as a discipline in the context of the growth of anatomy, psychology, and studies on the human brain, and, more specifically, how it grew in light of the emergence of colonial anthropology and scientific racism in nineteenth and early twentieth-century Britain and Europe.

The online prize ceremony took place in late July and you can watch the judges discuss Tom's dissertation in the video (from 8:50):

Judges’ citation: This was an outstanding study of Islamic practice in Singapore which explored the various cross-cutting influences on the island and the city, looking at culture and the economic and political pressures which were reflected in changing religious practice. This was a clear-cited and well-written analysis throughout which made for an excellent read, separating the chapters into themes of space, time and body was a skilful and elegant way of exploring this topic. An excellent dissertation which reflected meaningfully on race, gender, power and place using the rhythms and rights of religious observation to explore and unpick the intersecting tensions of empire during a period of profound change for Singapore.

More details on Tom’s prize, and others, are on the Royal Historical Society website: