Prof. Ann Carlos named as recipient of inaugural Alice Murray Award

Posted on: 03 April 2024

Professor Ann Carlos, University of Colorado, has been announced as the recipient of the inaugural Alice Murray Award. 

The award, administered by the Centre for Economics, Policy and History (CEPH), will be presented annually to an economic historian whose work has made a major contribution to the discipline.  

The award is named after Dr Alice Effie Murray (1877-1951) who was an economic historian who studied the history of commercial and financial relations between England and Ireland. When she received her D.Sc. Econ. in 1903 for her doctorate on the topic, she became the first woman to receive a degree from the London School of Economics. Her thesis was subsequently published by P. S. King in 1907. 

Professor Carlos will give the inaugural Alice Murray Distinguished Scholar Lecture on Thurs, April 11th 2024 at 17:00, in Trinity Long Room Hub. More information and registration details here.  The lecture is entitled ‘Peoples of a Spacious Land’: Native Economies in North America before 1500. 

“The economic history of the United States is that of Europeans and their institutions. Indigenous nations are absent. This absence is partly the result of lack of data but in larger measure to a perception that Indigenous communities had little to contribute to US growth. In this talk, I argue that this erasure of Indigenous economies is misplaced. Migrants to the Unites States did not come to an empty land but rather a land of economic diversity with settled agriculture, complex production processes and extensive trade relations.” 

Professor Carlos’ scholarship has made major contributions to the field of economic history, in particular making space for groups previously largely excluded from research as economic actors.  

Professor Carlos’s seminal work on the impact of trade on indigenous peoples in the Americas in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries has blazed a trail for others to follow in a previously under-researched area. Professor Carlos examined the deleterious effects of colonisation and trade on indigenous peoples in North America, identifying the institutions and trade networks that existed independently of European influence, and their subsequent adaption to the challenges posed by European pressure. 

Commenting on receiving the award, Professor Carlos said:  

“I am deeply honored to be named the inaugural recipient of the Alice Murray Distinguished Scholar Award.  This medal, awarded by the Centre for Economics, Policy and History (CEPH) for major contributions to the discipline, is named in honor of Alice Effie Murray (1877-1951), the first woman to receive a D.Sc. Econ. degree from the London School of Economics.  In accepting this award, I recognize those who through social, political, and legal forces remain unacknowledged.” 

Co-director of CEPH Gaia Narciso (Trinity College Dublin) added:  

“Professor Carlos is the ideal inaugural recipient of this award because she has studied groups previously largely excluded from research as economic actors. She was doing this long before it became popular to do so, which is the very definition of a pioneer. Professor Carlos has also played a very important in building the discipline of economic history. In other words, her legacy is both intellectual and institutional.” 

Professor Carlos has also been a pioneer in exploring the important activities of women in early financial markets. This focus on the role of women has pushed the discipline to consider the importance of gender in the study of economic history, and aligns well with the academic career of Alice Murray. 

Co-director of CEPH John Turner (Queen’s University Belfast) said:  

“From my personal perspective, her work on the development of capital markets in London in the eighteenth century has helped me understand how these early markets functioned and developed. In particular, Professor Carlos's pioneering work on the important activities of women in early financial markets has pushed the me and the broader discipline to consider the importance of gender in the study of financial market history.”   

The Alice Murray Award will be presented to Professor Carlos on Thurs, April 11th 2024 at 17:00, after which she will deliver the Alice Murray Distinguished Scholar Lecture, titled ‘Peoples of a Spacious Land’: Native Economies in North America before 1500. This event will take place in the Neill Lecture Theatre of the Long Room Hub, Trinity College Dublin. All are welcome to attend, and can register your attendance here.