International Balzan Foundation The Balzan Prizewinners’ Research Projects: An Overview 2012 © 2012, Fondazione Internazionale Balzan, Milano [www.balzan.org] Printed in Italy Contents The International Balzan Foundation …………………………………… Pag. 7 The Balzan Prizewinners’ Research Projects: An Overview 2012 Introduction by the Chairman of the Balzan General Prize Committee Salvatore Veca ……………………………………………………………… » 11 Editor’s Note ……………………………………………………………… » 13 Literature, Moral Sciences, and the Arts James Ackerman …………………………………………………………… » 17 Bronislaw Baczko ………………………………………………………… » 20 Manfred Brauneck ………………………………………………………… » 21 Peter Brown ……………………………………………………………… » 26 Maurizio Calvesi …………………………………………………………… » 28 Terence Cave ……………………………………………………………… » 33 Ludwig Finscher …………………………………………………………… » 38 Marc Fumaroli …………………………………………………………… » 41 Carlo Ginzburg …………………………………………………………… » 45 Anthony Grafton …………………………………………………………… » 47 Peter Hall ………………………………………………………………… » 51 Rosalyn Higgins …………………………………………………………… » 54 Eric Hobsbawm …………………………………………………………… » 56 Nikki Keddie ……………………………………………………………… » 61 3 Lothar Ledderose ………………………………………………………… Pag. 65 Serge Moscovici …………………………………………………………… » 69 Thomas Nagel ……………………………………………………………… » 74 Colin Renfrew ……………………………………………………………… » 79 Paolo Rossi Monti ………………………………………………………… » 84 Dominique Schnapper ……………………………………………………… » 88 Quentin Skinner …………………………………………………………… » 93 Michel Zink ………………………………………………………………… » 97 Physical, Mathematical and Natural Sciences, and Medicine Bruce Beutler (with Jules Hoffmann) ……………………………………… » 103 Wallace Broecker ………………………………………………………… » 106 Jean-Pierre Changeux ……………………………………………………… » 110 Paolo de Bernardis (with Andrew Lange) ………………………………… » 115 Pierre Deligne ……………………………………………………………… » 122 Ian Frazer ………………………………………………………………… » 129 Walter Gehring …………………………………………………………… » 133 Reinhard Genzel …………………………………………………………… » 135 Peter and Rosemary Grant ………………………………………………… » 138 Michael Grätzel …………………………………………………………… » 142 Russell Hemley (with Ho-Kwang Mao) …………………………………… » 145 Jules Hoffmann (with Bruce Beutler) ……………………………………… » 103 Sumio Iijima ……………………………………………………………… » 153 Russell Lande ……………………………………………………………… » 154 Andrew Lange (with Paolo de Bernardis) ………………………………… » 115 Xavier Le Pichon ………………………………………………………… » 155 Wen-Hsiung Li …………………………………………………………… » 159 Claude Lorius ……………………………………………………………… » 163 Ho-Kwang Mao (with Russell Hemley) …………………………………… » 145 Michael Marmot …………………………………………………………… » 169 Elliot Meyerowitz (with Christopher Sommerville) ……………………… » 173 Brenda Milner ……………………………………………………………… » 177 4 Jacob Palis ………………………………………………………………… Pag. 180 Joseph Ivor Silk …………………………………………………………… » 183 Christopher Somerville (with Elliot Meyerowitz) ………………………… » 173 Shinya Yamanaka ………………………………………………………… » 185 Index Institutions ………………………………………………………………… » 189 People ……………………………………………………………………… » 201 International Balzan Foundation The Balzan Foundation “Prize” …………………………………………… » 215 The Balzan Foundation “Fund” …………………………………………… » 216 Balzan Prizes (1961-2011) Literature, Moral Sciences, and the Arts, for Physical, Mathematical and Natural Sciences, and Medicine …………………………………… » 219 Peace, Humanity and Fraternity among Peoples ………………………… » 224 5 The International Balzan Foundation The International Balzan Foundation was established in Lugano in 1956 thanks to the generosity of Lina Balzan. She decided to dedicate the estate left by her father, to bene- fit society and thus to honour his memory. Eugenio Francesco Balzan was born in Badia Polesine, near Rovigo (Northern Italy), on 20th April 1874 into a family of landed gentry. He spent almost his entire working life at Milan’s leading daily newspaper, Corriere della Sera. After joining the paper in 1897, he quickly worked his way up from editorial assistant to news editor and spe - cial correspondent1. In 1903 editor Luigi Albertini appointed him managing director of the paper’s publishing house; he then became a partner and shareholder in the com- pany. He was not only a resourceful manager but also a leading personality in Milan- ese society. In 1933 he left Italy due to opposition from certain quarters hostile to an independent Corriere, moving to Switzerland, where he lived in Zürich and Lugano. He engaged in charitable activities supporting many worthy causes. He officially returned to Italy in 1950. Eugenio Balzan died in Lugano, Switzerland, on 15th July 19532. The International E. Balzan Prize Foundation “Prize” aims to promote, throughout the world, culture, science, and the most meritorious initiatives in the cause of hu- manity, peace and fraternity among peoples, regardless of nationality , race or creed. This aim is attained through the annual award of prizes in two general fields: liter- ature, the moral sciences and the arts; medicine and the physical, mathematical and natural sciences. Nominations for the prizes in the scientific and humanistic fields are received at the Foundation’s request from the world’s leading academic institutions. Candidates are selected by the General Prize Committee, composed of eminent European scholars 1 Renata Broggini (ed.), Eugenio Balzan. L’emigrazione in Canada nell’inchiesta del Corriere, Fondazio- ne Corriere della Sera, Milan, 2009. 2 Renata Broggini, Eugenio Balzan 1874-1953. Una vita per il Corriere, un progetto per l’umanità, RCS Li- bri, Milan, 2001. Renata Broggini, Eugenio Balzan 1874-1953. A Biography, Hoepli, Milan, 2007. 7 and scientists. Prizewinners must allocate half of the Prize to research work, prefera- bly involving young researchers. At intervals of not less than three years, the Balzan Foundation also awards a prize of varying amounts for humanity, peace and fraternity among peoples. The International E. Balzan Prize Foundation “Prize” attains its financial means from the International E. Balzan Prize Foundation “Fund” which administers Euge- nio Balzan’s estate. 8 The Balzan Prizewinners’ Research Projects: An Overview Introduction by the Chairman of the Balzan General Prize Committee Salvatore Veca The Balzan Research Projects are an integral part of the Balzan Prize and are the one element that marks the Balzan Prize out from other international awards. The projects go a long way in fulfilling the central aims of the Balzan Foundation as elaborated by Lina Balzan, to promote culture, the sciences and the most meritorious initiatives in the cause of humanity and peace among peoples throughout the world. Since 2001, half of each annual Balzan Prize has been set aside to support a research project developed by the Prizewinner and approved by the Balzan General Prize Committee. The struc- ture of each research project is determined by the prizewinner, and its management is the responsibility of an academic institution proposed by the Prizewinner. The pro- jects involve many young researchers. The Balzan General Prize Committee delegates one or more of its members to advise and assist Prizewinners in the definition and im- plementation of their projects. The sheer variety of projects undertaken to date is striking, covering almost all aca - demic disciplines. Significant cutting edge research has emanated from these endeav- ours. The details of this, one can readily observe in the lengthy bibliographies attached to the individual projects presented here. This has also resulted in the establishment of a unique library at the headquarters of the Balzan “Prize” Foundation in Milan, which can be accessed by interested academics and researchers. What however is probably the most important element of the Balzan Research Projects is the role played by young researchers. This again fits closely with the aims of the Balzan Foundation. The total amount to date allocated to over forty Balzan Research Projects is 21.5 mil- lion Sfr. A significant number of academic institutions and individual researchers worldwide have been involved in these research projects.This list includes institutions from countries including Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Ita- ly, Japan, Russia, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Norway, the UK and the USA. Over five hundred researchers and administrators have been involved, representing an in- put from many other countries in addition to these, including China, Finland, India, 11 Iran, Romania, Ukraine, Ireland and Poland. Some researchers have already concluded their work. Most though are still implementing, or just beginning to implement, their Balzan Research Projects. I would like to convey my heartfelt thanks to all the staf f at the Balzan “Prize” Foundation including Seamus Taggart and Elena Roncalli for their efforts in editing this second edition. July 2012 12 Editor’s Note The overview is divided into two sections, following the division between the sciences and the humanities that delineates the actual subjects of the Balzan Prizes. The entries for each Prizewinner are organized as follows: name; current position; year of award; subject and citation; institution administering research funds; adviser for the Balzan General Prize Committee; Research Project description; names of researchers; publications; links (where relevant). 13 Literature, Moral Sciences, and the Arts 15 James Ackerman Professor Emeritus, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 2001 Balzan Prize for the History of Architecture (including town planning and landscape design) For his outstanding work on the history of Renaissance architecture which contributed to the modern approach to architectural history based on a systematic