Elisa Chazal has won the 2026 James Kaye Memorial Prize for the best doctoral thesis in History and Visuality. The prize, awarded by the EUI Department of History every two years since 2012, was presented at the EUI conferring ceremony on 19 June 2026.
Elisa Chazal defended her thesis ‘The industry of anachronism (re)producing the past in the immersive historical reconstructions in Fin-de-siècle London, Vienna, Budapest, and Paris’, at the Department of History in October 2025. The thesis examines how 19th-century Europeans encountered, staged, and consumed the past through immersive reconstructions in four major cities.
“Through this project, I sought to understand how anachronism was incorporated into the visual and material lives of ordinary people in the 19th century,” she explained, noting that her focus on European fin-de-siècle historical reconstructions allowed her to examine “how the visual and material imitation of the past was grounded in everyday practices that made it appear legible and familiar.”
For Chazal, the prize confirms that "the study of visual and material culture offers a stimulating intellectual space in which researchers can challenge established historical narratives" in the period she studies. She adds that the approach also holds promise for "broadening our understanding of how the past is mobilised in contemporary society.
On receiving the award, Chazal extended her thanks to James Kaye's family and friends, to the selection committee, and to the EUI Department of History.
Since 2012, the James Kaye Memorial Prize has been awarded every two years to the best EUI doctoral thesis combining the study of historical and visual sources. The crossroads of ‘History and Visuality’ is a growing interdisciplinary area that EUI researcher James Kaye was keen on exploring. The prize exists today thanks to the generosity of James’ family and friends, who wanted to honour his memory by paying tribute to his work and passions, particularly his interest in the intersection of history and art.