Noreen Humble Recognised by The Classical Association of Canada

Dr. Noreen Humble (Associate Director, Calgary Institute for the Humanities and Professor, Department of Classics and Religion) was awarded the Mark Golden Book Award by the The Classical Association of Canada (CAC) for Xenophon of Athens: A Socratic on Sparta (Cambridge, 2021). The Mark Golden Book Award is presented biennially at the Annual Meeting to the best scholarly monograph published by a member of the CAC in the previous four years. According to the CAC, Humble’s book is a “major step forward in Xenophontic scholarship” and “all future work on Xenophon will need to engage with Prof. Humble’s work.” This monograph is an extension of Dr. Humble's 2013-14 CIH Resident Fellowship on Xenophon's View of Sparta. 

Xenophon of Athens (c. 430–354 BCE) has long been considered an uncritical admirer of Sparta who hero-worships the Spartan King Agesilaus and eulogises Spartan practices in his Lacedaimoniôn Politeia. By examining his own self-descriptions - especially where he portrays himself as conversing with Socrates and falling short in his appreciation of Socrates' advice - this book finds in Xenophon's overall writing project a Socratic response to his exile and situates his writings about Sparta within this framework.

Our congratulations go out to Dr. Humble for the completion of this important work and its contribution to the discipline.