James A. Rawley Prize
The 2019 submission deadline has passed. Awardees will be announced this fall.
The James A. Rawley Prize in Atlantic History was created in 1998 in accordance with the terms of a gift from James A. Rawley, Carl Adolph Happold Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. It is offered annually to recognize outstanding historical writing that explores aspects of integration of Atlantic worlds before the 20th century. See the list of past recipients.
The general rules for submission are:
- Only books of a high scholarly and literary merit will be considered. Research accuracy and originality are also important factors in the evaluation of the books.
- Books with a copyright of 2019 are eligible for the 2020 award.
- Nomination submissions may be made by an author or by a publisher. Publishers may submit as many entries as they wish. Authors or publishers may submit the same book for multiple AHA prizes.
- Nominators must complete an online prize submission form for each book submitted.
- One copy of each entry must be sent to each committee member and clearly labeled “Rawley Prize Entry.” Print copies preferred unless otherwise indicated. If only e-copy is available, please contact review committee members beforehand to arrange submission format.
Please Note: Entries must be received by May 15, 2020, to be eligible for the 2020 competition. Entries will not be returned. Recipients will be announced on the AHA website in October 2020 and recognized during a ceremony at the January 2021 AHA annual meeting in Seattle.
For questions, please contact the Prize Administrator.
The review committee contact information and prize submission form will be posted by March 1 for submissions due May 15.
2019 Rawley Prize
Elena A. Schneider, Univ. of California, Berkeley
The Occupation of Havana: War, Trade, and Slavery in the Atlantic World (Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture and Univ. of North Carolina Press)
This well-argued and elegant book models how to write the Atlantic history of a single event, in this instance, the British occupation of Havana during the Seven Years’ War. Elena Schneider’s analysis, both deep and wide ranging, accommodates an array of historical actors and situates Cuba in Caribbean, Atlantic, and imperial contexts. Her longue durée perspective integrates military history, Atlantic history, and the history of enslaved people in what is sure to be a lasting interpretation of a pivotal moment.