The Toyin Falola ATWS Africa Book Award, established in 2005 in honor of Toyin Falola, one of Africa’s outstanding historians and intellectuals, was initially given in 2006 for the best book in Africa, published in 2005-2006. The first award was presented at the Twenty-Fourth Annual Meeting of ATWS at Winston-Salem State University. The 2006 winner was Adam Ashforth for his excellent work, “Witchcraft, Violence, and Democracy in South Africa,” published by the University of Chicago Press. Professor Falola generously funds the award.
CALL FOR BOOKS FOR 2025-2026 TOYIN FALOLA AGSS AFRICA BOOK AWARD
Book submissions must be published from January 1, 2025, through August 15, 2026. The deadline for the submission of entries is August 15, 2026. The award will not automatically be given each year, but only when the committee decides to select a book of considerable merit. AGSS members are encouraged to enter their publications into the competition. The recipient will receive a plaque, citation, and a $500 cash award.
Qualifications:
- Only monographs and similar original studies will be considered. Please do not submit anthologies or edited works.
- An individual who wishes to be considered must send a letter of application and a print copy of the book to the committee chair, Dr. José Arimatéia da Cruz, jdacruz@georgiasouthern.edu
- An individual seeking the award is also responsible for sending [or having their publisher send] the other members of the committee a copy of the book. Currently, the other members of the committee would prefer an electronic copy of the book, if available. Contact the committee chair for further details.
- Publishers can nominate an author’s book if the above rules are observed.
Committee Chair
Dr. Jose de Arimateia da Cruz, Committee Chair
Georgia Southern University, Armstrong Campus
11935 Abercorn Street, Dept. of Political Science & International Studies
Savannah, GA 31419
Committee Members
Dr. Ishmael I. Munene
2840 N Elk Run St.
Flagstaff, AZ 86004
Col. James T. Gire, Ph.D.
Virginia Military Institute
Lexington VA 24450
Rubric for Decision:
Originality in terms of the research area and interpretation. Contribution to the intellectual debates within the subject area in which they are framed. Present well-substantiated arguments.
Recent Award Winners
2022: Cati Coe, Changes in Care: Aging, Migration, and Social Class in West Africa
