2012
On July 10, 2012, Librarian of Congress James H. Billington awarded the 2012 John W. Kluge Prize for lifetime achievement in the study of humanity to Fernando Henrique Cardoso, one of the leading scholars and practitioners of political economy in recent Latin American history. His scholarly analysis of the social structures of government, the economy and race relations in Brazil laid the intellectual groundwork for his leadership as president in the transformation of Brazil from a military dictatorship with high inflation into a vibrant, more inclusive democracy with strong economic growth.
Fernando Henrique Cardoso
- Read "Crossroads," a brief autobiography (Fernando Henrique Cardoso)
- Read Acceptance Speech by Fernando Henrique Cardoso (July 10, 2012)
The award was presented so at a ceremony on July 10 in the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building. Cardoso is the first prize recipient whose work spans the fields of sociology, political science, and economics. Cardoso is the eighth recipient of the $1 million Kluge Prize, which recognizes and celebrates work of the highest quality and greatest impact in areas that advance understanding of the human experience. A scholar of enormous intellectual energy, he has written or co-authored more than 23 scholarly books and 116 scholarly articles, with versions of each produced for a wider public.
2008
Peter Robert Lamont Brown, 73, and Romila Thapar, 77, are recipients of the 2008 Kluge Prize for Lifetime Achievement in the Study of Humanity. They are the sixth and seventh recipients since the Prize’s 2003 inception. Each awardee receives half of the $1 million prize. View ceremony webcast
Peter Robert Lamont Brown
- Lecture: A Parting of the Ways: Wealth, Working and Poverty in Eary Christian Monasticism
- Webcast: A Parting of the Ways: Wealth, Working and Poverty in Early Chritian Monasticism
Romila Thapar
- Lecture: Perceptions
2006
John Hope Franklin, 91, and Yu Ying-shih, 76, have been named the recipients of the third John W. Kluge Prize for lifetime achievement in the study of humanity. Endowed by Library of Congress benefactor John W. Kluge, the Kluge Prize rewards lifetime achievement in the wide range of disciplines not covered by the Nobel prizes, including history, philosophy, politics, anthropology, sociology, religion, criticism in the arts and humanities, and linguistics. Each awardee will receive half of the $1 million prize. View ceremony webcast
John Hope Franklin
- Read Biography
- Remarks by John Hope Franklin [PDF, 195KB]
Yu Ying-shih
- Read Biography
- Remarks by Yu Ying-shih [PDF, 227KB]
2004
On November 29, 2004, Librarian of Congress James H. Billington announced the award of the second John W. Kluge Prize for Lifetime Achievement in the Human Sciences to Jaroslav Pelikan of New Haven, Conn., and Paul Ricoeur of Paris, France. Billington will present the shared award at a formal ceremony at the Library of Congress at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 8, in the Coolidge Auditorium of the Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E., Washington, D.C. View ceremony webcast
Jaroslav Pelikan
Paul Ricoeur
2003
The first recipient of the $1 million John W. Kluge Prize, Leszek Kolakowski, was announced at a news conference at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2003 in the Whittall Pavilion of the Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. View ceremony webcastView announcement webcast
Leszek Kolakowski
(Download a free version of RealPlayer (external link) software)