Parkes Institute scholar receives prestigious international award in Holocaust Studies

We are delighted to announce that Professor Tony Kushner has been selected to receive one of the most significant honours in the field of Holocaust Studies.

The Holocaust Educational Foundation of Northwestern University (HEFNU) in Illinois, USA, has announced that Professor Tony Kushner , James Parkes Professor of History, will receive its 2026 Distinguished Achievement Award in Holocaust Studies. This prestigious award is granted to a select group of individuals who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to teaching, research, and mentorship within the discipline.

Chosen by HEFNU’s Honors Committee, the award recognises extraordinary contributions to Holocaust Studies, including groundbreaking research and a sustained dedication to both students and colleagues.

The award will be formally presented at the next Lessons and Legacies Conference, hosted by HEFNU and Northwestern University from 12 to 15 November 2026 in Chicago.

Reacting to the award, Tony said: “I am truly thrilled with this award. In the late 1980s, I was one of the first people to teach the Holocaust at university level in the UK. The University of Southampton, and specifically the Parkes Institute and the History Department, encouraged me to do so.

“As I come up to my fortieth anniversary at the University, it is rewarding to see how teaching, researching and publishing on the Holocaust has now become firmly established at a national and international level and that we in the Parkes Institute have played a vital role in that process.”

This honour not only reflects the international impact of Tony’s scholarship but also his decades-long dedication to advancing Holocaust Studies, highlighting the strength and global relevance of Holocaust Studies within the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.