Companion of the Order of Canada
Awarded on: 2012-05-24
Invested on: 2012-09-28
Natalie Zemon Davis is one of the most celebrated historians of our time. Professor emerita at Princeton University and now associated with the History Department at the University of Toronto, she has gained international acclaim for her creative approach to social and cultural history in the early modern period. Her focus on the lives of everyday women, labourers, artisans and peasants has advanced the field of history and influenced such disciplines as anthropology and film studies. She is best-known for her 1982 classic The Return of Martin Guerre, which captured the public's imagination and has been translated into more than 20 languages.