Islam in Africa Book Award
The Islam in Africa Book Award is awarded annually at the African Studies Association (ASA) Annual Meeting to the author of the best book in the field of Islam in Africa published in the previous calendar year (copyright date). Established in 2026, the award is co-sponsored by ISITA and the Islam in Africa Studies Group (IASG), a coordinate organization of the ASA. The winner receives an honorarium of $500 and will be asked to deliver a lecture at the ASA Annual Meeting or online. A list of the finalists for the Award is published in the Annual Meeting program.
Eligibility
- Scholarly works published in any country in the previous calendar year (copyright date) are normally eligible for the Award. Nominations must be original non-fiction scholarly books. Edited volumes, new editions of previously published works, bibliographies, dictionaries, translations, or works of fiction are not generally eligible. In making its selection, the Award Committee will pay particular attention to significance in the field, originality, and quality of writing. The Committee may choose not to make an award if it is unconvinced that any nominated work meets the established criteria.
- The subject matter must concern Islam or Muslim societies in Africa, or African Muslim diasporas around the world.
- Authors of nominated books need not be members of the Islam in Africa Studies Group (IASG) nor the African Studies Association (ASA).
- The awardee will be asked to deliver a lecture, preferably at the ASA Annual Meeting, where the prize will be awarded. If attendance at the ASA Annual Meeting is not possible for the awardee, they may opt to deliver the lecture in an online hybrid format at the time of the scheduled ISITA Keynote lecture at the ASA. The awardee will receive an honorarium of $500 for delivering the lecture.
Nomination Process
Nominations for the Islam in Africa Book Award may be made by authors or by publishers, who may nominate as many separate titles each year as they desire.
For the 2026 Award cycle, books with a 2024 or 2025 copyright date are eligible. From 2027 on, only books with a copyright date in the previous calendar year are eligible.
To verify eligibility, the Award Committee will look at the date on the copyright page of the book. Since there can be variances between copyright and publication dates, please check that the nominated book's copyright is 2024 or 2025.
Books may be submitted in electronic format or hard copy. Submit three hard copies or an electronic copy to the contact listed below, along with the nomination form.
Nominations may be submitted between January 1 and April 30, 2026. Finalists will be notified by August 1, with the award to be announced at the African Studies Association Annual Meeting in December 2026.
Send nominations to:
Rebecca Shereikis
Associate Director, Institute for the Study of Islamic Thought in Africa
620 Library Place
Evanston, IL 60208