In September 2014, history teacher Hannah Puckett completed her Master’s from the New York University Center for European and Mediterranean Studies. This January, the esteemed European University Institute (EUI) selected her thesis, “Narrating the Nation: Nationalist Discourse on the Muslim Presence in Bulgaria” for the prestigious Marc Bloch Prize, “awarded to the author of the best new Master’s thesis in early modern or modern European history and in the history of Europe in the world.”
Puckett's thesis explores the ways in which national narratives about Bulgaria’s history under Ottoman rule influenced relations between Bulgarians and their Muslim minorities during socialism. Puckett shares the honor with Edgar Pereira of the Universidade Nova de Lisboa. Hers was one of 79 applications in 12 different languages, representing 24 different nationalities. This April, she’ll travel to Florence, Italy, to accept the award and to present a talk to EUI faculty.