Hawaiʻi Pacific University Professor Wins 2020 Kenneth W. Baldridge Prize

Hawaiʻi Pacific University Professor of History, Jon Davidann, Ph.D., recently won the 2020 Kenneth W. Baldridge prize for the most outstanding history book written by a resident of Hawai'i, 2017–2019. Davidann’s book, The Limits of Westernization: American and East Asian Intellectuals Create Modernity, 1860–1960, is set against the contemporary context of trying to understand Asia’s gleaming modernization in the twenty-first century, with Davidann calling for a redefining of the history of the origins of modernity. 

The Baldridge Prize was endowed by Professor Kenneth W. Baldridge, retired professor of history at Brigham Young University, Hawai’i’. “I’m honored to have been recognized among so many colleagues that I admire. I’m passionate about history and the challenges of writing about the past,” Davidann said.  “The Limits of Westernization demonstrates that East Asia chose its own path in the twentieth century, in the process breaking the template of westernization. The region’s success in the twenty-first century suggests it could become dominant, creating an ‘Asian Century.’” 

Davidann, an expert in U.S-East Asian history, has been with HPU for 23 years. His courses focus on American cultural diplomacy, global history, the history of oil, and the history of economic crisis. He is also the author of multiple other books including Cross-Cultural Encounters in Modern World History, 1453-Present, and numerous articles. 

To read more about The Limits of Westernization: American and East Asian Intellectuals Create Modernity, 1860–1960, and read reviews, visit the link here. For more information about Professor Davidann, check out his faculty profile here.