Vicente Fisher de Miranda Rodrigues awarded Cornelis Thiele Prize
After the KHMW Brouwer Thesis Prize for History, Vicente Fischer de Miranda Rodrigues has also won the Cornelis Thiele Prize of the Dutch Society for Religious Studies.
Fischer de Miranda is delighted with his prize: ‘I am really excited to have been awarded the Cornelis Thiele MA thesis prize! Every time I received news that my thesis was selected for an award, I was in complete shock, and this time was no different. Particularly as this prize is awarded by the Dutch Association for the Study of Religion, I was not expecting to receive it, since my background is in History. But I believe that this award goes to show that there is strong appreciation for studying religions (in this case, early Christianity and the African schismatics known as the Donatists) using more interdisciplinary approaches. In my thesis, I strove to use a wide variety of evidence, including material, epigraphical, and non-religious texts, to corroborate or challenge the narratives found in predominantly elitist textual sources. Thanks to this approach, I arrived at drastically different conclusions regarding Donatist identity. It is great to see that academic fields such as Religious Studies are rewarding works that challenge traditional views.’
He hopes his award will help him pursue his academic career: ‘Currently, I am still in the process of applying for different PhD positions. I had a wonderful time at Leiden University, and I would really appreciate being able to carry on my academic research here, but unfortunately, there are not many opportunities in the Netherlands right now. So, I'm considering other European institutions, which indeed have some fascinating projects. I was also fortunate enough to spend the months of February and March at the wonderful KNIR, the Dutch institute in Rome. There, I had the opportunity to visit museums and incredible Early Christian sites, which have truly been inspiring me on the academic path I want to follow.’