Ohio University Press books garner top honors in African studies

Ohio University Press proudly announces that several of its recent publications have received prestigious awards from leading scholarly organizations, underscoring its commitment to publishing groundbreaking research in African studies.

These honors were announced at the African Studies Association (ASA) annual conference, held Nov. 20–22 in Atlanta, and through other major academic associations earlier this year.

"Imagine Lagos: Mapping History, Place, and Politics in a Nineteenth-Century African City," by Ademide Adelusi-Adeluyi (Howard University) has won the ASA Best Book Prize, awarded annually to the author of the most important scholarly work in African studies published in English during the preceding year. Another Ohio University Press title, "The Texture of Change: Dress, Self-Fashioning, and History in Western Africa, 1700–1850," by Jody Benjamin (Howard University), received Honorable Mention for the same prize.

Both Adelusi-Adeluyi and Benjamin received the Ohio University Press First Book Award, which supports promising early-career scholars in bringing their first monographs to publication. Both books are also part of the Press’s flagship New African Histories series, a leading venue for innovative scholarship on Africa’s past.

"Making Martial Races: Gender, Society, and Warfare in Africa," edited by Myles Osborne (University of Colorado), was awarded the African Studies Review Prize for Best Anthology or Edited Collection. In addition, "Written Out: The Silencing of Regina Gelana Twala," by Joel Cabrita (Stanford University) won the Aidoo-Snyder Prize from the ASA Women’s Caucus, which honors an African studies book that prioritizes women’s experiences.

Separately, the American Historical Association awarded its Martin A. Klein Prize in African History to Admire Mseba (University of Southern California) for "Society, Power, and Land in Northeastern Zimbabwe, ca. 1560–1960." This prize recognizes the most distinguished work of scholarship on African history published in English during the previous year. Remarkably, an Ohio University Press book has won the Klein Prize four out of the past five years.

“These awards recognize Ohio University Press’s dedication to publishing innovative and rigorous scholarship that deepens our understanding of Africa’s histories and cultures,” said Ohio University Press Director Beth Pratt. “We congratulate these authors on their exceptional achievements.”

Earlier this year, two additional Ohio University Press titles were honored with major awards:

"A Country of Defiance: Mapping the Casamance in Senegal," by Mark W. Deets (American University in Cairo) won the Association for the Study of the Worldwide African Diaspora First Book Award; and "Africanfuturisms: African Imaginings of Other Times, Spaces, and Worlds," by Kimberly Cleveland (Georgia State University) received the Science Fiction Research Association Book Award.

For more information about these titles and other publications from Ohio University Press, visit ohioswallow.com.