The Medieval Academy of America is very pleased to award the 2022 Schallek Fellowship to Alexandra Atiya (University of Toronto). Atiya’s dissertation, “Economic and Spiritual Conflict in Medieval East Anglian Drama,” investigates the relationship between economic conflicts and dramatic forms in late-medieval morality and miracle plays. Focusing on the depiction of trade, labor rebellion, and corruption in plays including the Croxton Play of the Sacrament, Mankind, Wisdom, and The Castle of Perseverance, she argues that contemporary economic conflicts are more than just topical villains or vices slotted into a didactic model of drama; rather, they seem to shape the plays’ variegated and unusual dramatic forms. Building on recent work that re-evaluates the morality play genre, her dissertation employs close reading of play texts, analysis of manuscript evidence, and research into relevant historical contexts to examine the blurring of moral boundaries and the adaptability of allegory in late-medieval performance.
The Schallek Fellowship provides a one-year grant of $30,000 to support dissertation research in any relevant discipline dealing with late-medieval Britain (ca. 1350-1500). The Fellowship is supported by a generous gift to the Richard III Society – American Branch from William B. and Maryloo Spooner Schallek and is administered by the Medieval Academy of America’s Schallek Committee. Please visit our website for more information about the Schallek Fellowship and Award program.
