Castells receives Norwegian award for scholarly work

Professor of Communication and Sociology Manuel Castells, the author of 22 academic books and the co-author of 21 others, received Norway’s Holberg International Memorial Prize, a $755,000 award for scholarly work.

The Holberg Prize Academic Committee applauded Castells for his scholarly work on power in a “network society.”

“Castells has taken thinking about ‘the political’ to an entirely new level through his prescient account of the emergence of and interaction between new forms of power in the age of the network society,” the prize committee said.

Elizabeth Garrett, USC provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, said in a press release that the award highlights the importance of new means for communication.

“In receiving the prestigious Holberg Prize for his multidisciplinary work illuminating the transformative power of new communication technologies with respect to political and economic institutions, University Professor Castells clearly demonstrates why he has long occupied a preeminent position among his field’s most distinguished scholars,” Garrett said in a statement.

Though Castells’ primary appointment is in the Annenberg School of Communication & Journalism, he also holds positions in the sociology department, the School of International Relations and Sol Price School of Public Policy.

USC Annenberg Dean Ernest J. Wilson III said in a press release that Castells is an exemplary scholar and applauded him for receiving the honor.

“Manuel Castells is the preeminent example of a scholar who provides a deep and comprehensive understanding of how new communication breakthroughs impact our increasingly networked society,” Wilson said.