Monsoon Book Prizes

• Prize nominations should be sent to Dr. Allen Fromherz at [email protected] by August 19, 2024.
• Nominations should include at least 1 pdf of the book (preferably watermarked and copyrighted) that will be sent as multiple copies with the prize committee.
• Peer reviewed and published books in English on the Indian Ocean published from 2015 to June 2024 are eligible.
• Drafts and copy proofs are not eligible and will not be considered.
• Nominations should indicate to what prize category they wish to submit (archaeology/anthropology, political economy, or history). If category is not provided, the committee will choose the category.
• Either authors or publishers are welcome to submit books.
• Books may also be nominated by the members of the selection committee.
• Both single authored and edited books will be welcome, although both must show a unity of theme, argument, and purpose.
• Proofs or non-published manuscripts will not be accepted, only complete and published books.
• New editions will be treated as new books on the date of their latest edition's publication. However, any book can only receive one prize and may not receive a new prize as a new edition.
• Peer reviewed books by University Presses or established scholarly trade presses are welcome. Books not peer-reviewed will not be considered except at the committee's discretion.
• All submissions should be in English, or should be complete, published English translations of academic books in Arabic. (In the case of a translation from Arabic to English, the date of the published translation will be used as the date of eligibility for the prize).
• An author may submit for only one of the prizes in any given year but may resubmit for consideration in future years.
• An academic book publisher, working for a press, may submit an unlimited number of books in any given year with the consent of the authors. Authors should inform their press of their intent to submit for the prize and it will be up to authors to coordinate with their presses and editors the submission of books in time to the committee.
• In addition to a full PDF of their book, authors and/or publishers (although this is not required for publishers) should submit a brief letter, no more than 500 words, stating their name, best contact information (email and cell phone required) affiliation and background. They may also provide a shortened synopsis of the main argument of the book or chapter. An optional author CV (no longer than 2 pages will be accepted) can also be appended to the letter.
• Late submissions will be accepted except at the committee's discretion in extraordinary circumstances.
• Prize winners should commit to April 10-11, 2025, the projected date of our prize ceremony. If there are co-authors, only one author will be funded to come to the prize ceremony. Co-authors will agree to split the monetary prize.
• Receiving the prize is contingent on availability of the author to attend the ceremony and give a 30-minute original paper (approximately 15-20 pages) on April 10-11, 2025 that will be exclusively used by the Monsoon Book Prizes and considered for publication as a book chapter in a future, edited volume of prize winners.

First, these prizes will benefit scholars through direct support of their research. Indian Ocean studies are not recognized by many prizes. While book prizes as monetary awards are important for scholars, the recognition provided by a book prize can go far beyond funding. They can recognize an outstanding senior scholar or establish a burgeoning writer’s career. They can ensure tenure or promotion to higher ranks within academia. This makes these proposed prizes especially valuable to scholars, especially since such prizes are lacking. Currently scholars of the Indian Ocean and Arabian Peninsula compete with an overly broad pool of scholars. As an opportunity to publicly celebrate the awarding of prizes in the press, the prizes will increase international understanding of the Indian Ocean. The prizes will benefit future generations of readers and will help to further establish, over time, the deeper understanding and interpretation of that history in a way that also makes it accessible to Habermas’ idea of the “public sphere.” The “public sphere” that these prizes benefit will include not only other academics but also journalists, politicians, diplomats, businesspeople, and the wider public’s understanding of Indian Ocean cultures.

Finally, the prize ceremony will be an event that encourages conversations between prize recipients, the scholarly community and graduate student attendees, inspiring fruitful interdisciplinary dialogue.