The Donner Institute Research Prize awarded to Andrea Franchetto and Bjarke Stanley Nielsen

The Donner Institute for Research into Religion and Culture has decided to award its 2025 Research Prize to Dr Andrea Franchetto and Dr Bjarke Stanley Nielsen. This marks the first time the prize has been awarded to two researchers. Both Franchetto’s and Nielsen’s dissertations offer important new research in areas closely aligned with the institute’s focus.

Andrea Franchetto is recognized for the book Rituals of Perceptual Presence: Space, Material Culture, and Efficacy in Late-Medieval Learned Magic (Stockholm University, 2024), submitted as a doctoral dissertation at the Department of Ethnology, History of Religions and Gender Studies at Stockholm University. Bjarke Stanley Nielsen is awarded for the book Global Awareness and the Theosophical Society 1875–1950: Conceptualising Universal Brotherhood and its Universal History (University of Copenhagen, 2024), submitted as a doctoral dissertation at the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Copenhagen.

In his dissertation, Andrea Franchetto explores different ways people perceive the presence of the supernatural and examines the ritual techniques used to facilitate these non-ordinary experiences. Through analysis of medieval manuscripts and magical diagrams, the thesis explains how medieval people designed spaces for encounters with spiritual beings and how these designs reflected views on the relationship between humankind and the divine.

Bjarke Stanley Nielsen’s dissertation investigates the role of the Theosophical Society in developing a global awareness perspective between 1875 and 1950, focusing on concepts such as universal brotherhood and universal history. The study highlights how the Theosophical understanding of history and society was interpreted in relation to cosmopolitan ideas, either as an alternative to the nation-state and national history, or as an integrated part of them.

About the Donner Institute Research Prize

The Donner Institute Research Prize recognises outstanding newly published research in the study of religion at a Nordic university. The prize sum is usually €5,000, but this year each recipient will receive €3,000. The prize is intended for “researchers whose work focuses on the field of religion in a broad sense.” It has been awarded annually since 2010, and this year it is exceptionally given for two doctoral dissertations. Nine nominations were submitted by professors, supervisors, and researchers.

The Donner Institute’s board states the following in its motivation for Franchetto’s dissertation:

“Franchetto’s dissertation is of very high quality. The author is well-versed in the existing research in the field. The book is rich in dialogue with other scholars and contributes substantial new knowledge. […] The book offers a convincing and comprehensive approach, with the author skilfully navigating across disciplinary boundaries. It is expected that Franchetto’s dissertation will become a central work for many years to come.”

In the board’s motivation for Nielsen’s dissertation, the following is noted:

“Bjarke Stanley Nielsen’s doctoral dissertation offers well-structured, meticulous, and clear foundational research that builds on previous studies while filling a significant gap in current historical scholarship. Previously explored material and sources compiled specifically for this study are reinterpreted in a way that generates important new scholarly knowledge.”

Recognition of Significant Research

Both recipients express deep gratitude and see the prize as an important affirmation of their research.

“It is a great honour to receive the prize, which for me confirms the importance of my research area,” says Nielsen. “The prize motivation highlights not only the need for a better understanding of global perspectives over time, but also the value of examining spiritual movements in new contexts and through an interdisciplinary lens.”

“I am deeply honoured to receive this award,” says Franchetto. “What makes this especially meaningful is that it brings visibility to a research journey that has been genuinely creative in its interdisciplinary explorations. The prize confirms that this work resonates beyond specialist circles and can engage with various fields of study.”

Nielsen is currently researching global intellectual history and religious movements, with a particular focus on connections between esoteric networks and global ideological currents in the 20th century. Franchetto’s next project expands his research at the intersection of gender studies and the history of magic, examining how medieval learned magic is received by queer practitioners in the 21st century.

Franchetto’s dissertation is available via Stockholm University’s portal, and Nielsen’s dissertation is available via the University of Copenhagen’s portal.