Rachel Schine Awarded 2026 Monica H. Green Prize
February 20, 2026
Her monograph, “Black Knights: Arabic Epic and the Making of Medieval Race” is among ten award recipients from Medieval Academy of America.
The School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures (SLLC) is pleased to announce that Rachel Schine, assistant professor of Arabic and history, has received the 2026 Monica H. Green Prize from the Medieval Academy of America.
Schine was honored for her monograph, “Black Knights: Arabic Epic and the Making of Medieval Race” (University of Chicago Press, 2024), which examines the development of racial thought in the medieval Arabic-speaking world.
In “Black Knights,” Schine shows how ideas about ethnic differences in the medieval Arabic-speaking world developed through far-reaching exchanges that stretched from the Sahara to the Indian Ocean. Rather than mirroring European traditions, these conversations placed racialized Blackness at the center of emerging visions of a global and ethnically diverse Muslim community. Drawing on popular Islamic epics alongside legal, medical and religious writings, Schine highlights how concepts of race in premodern Islamic societies were dynamic, debated and continually reshaped across different social and literary contexts.
The Monica H. Green Prize, awarded annually by the Medieval Academy of America, recognizes a publication, exhibit, performance or digital humanities project that underscores the value of studying the medieval past to better understand the present. The prize includes a $1,000 award and honors scholarship that bridges rigorous research and public engagement.
Schine will be recognized during the Presidential Plenary at the Medieval Academy of America’s annual meeting on Saturday, March 21, at 10:45 a.m. The School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures congratulates her on this national honor.