University of New Mexico (UNM) associate professor Jonathan Davis-Secord earns recognition for an outstanding scholarly article.
Davis-Secord won the William Riley Parker Prize from the Modern Language Association (MLA) for his PMLA article “Trans Saints in Old English.” PMLA serves as the association’s flagship journal.
The MLA recently announced the honor, recognizing Davis-Secord’s article, which appeared in the March 2025 issue of PMLA. Each year, the association awards the prize to the author of the journal’s most distinguished article, UNM News reported.
The selection committee cited the article’s originality and scholarly rigor. In his award-winning work, Davis-Secord analyzes medieval hagiography, offering insights into gender identity and sanctity in early English religious texts. It contributes to ongoing conversations in medieval studies, literary scholarship, and the history of gender and sexuality.
“My work helps demonstrate the legitimacy of thinking about trans lives in the premodern past,” Davis-Secord told UNM News. “It contributes more evidence that trans people have long existed well before people began using the word ‘trans,’ and shows that people in early medieval England were open to these possibilities.”
The William Riley Parker Prize elevates UNM’s national profile and highlights the university’s contributions to humanities and liberal arts research.
“It was overwhelming to learn that my article received the William Riley Parker Prize,” Davis-Secord said. “The article’s argument is very important to me, and it is very meaningful to have its value recognized by the prize committee.”
Samuel Diener, a stipendiary lecturer in English at the University of Oxford’s Exeter College, won an honorable mention for his article. “Narration in the Key of We: The Voyage and the Grammar of Identity” appeared in the January 2025 issue of PMLA.
Founded in 1883, MLA is among the largest scholarly organizations in the humanities. PMLA ranks among the most prestigious journals in literary and language studies, publishing peer-reviewed research across periods, languages, and methodologies.
The William Riley Parker Prize honors articles that demonstrate exceptional scholarship and make a significant contribution to the field. It is now in its 62nd year.
“Publication in PMLA is a recognition of the quality and importance of my work,” Davis-Secord said. “Given the importance of the article’s topic, I am very glad for it to find as many readers as possible.”