Morris D. Forkosch Prize
The submission deadline has passed. Awardees are announced in the fall, and the next contest will begin in the spring.
The American Historical Association offers the Morris D. Forkosch Prize annually in recognition of the best book in English in the field of British, British imperial, or British Commonwealth history since 1485. Submission of books relating to the shared common law heritage of the English-speaking world are particularly encouraged in memory of the late Professor Forkosch’s contributions to the field of legal studies and legal history.
The current prize amount is $1,000. See the list of past recipients.
The general rules for submission are:
- Books with a copyright of 2021 will be eligible for the 2022 competition.
- 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 marked “Forkosch Award 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, 2022, to be eligible for the 2022 competition. Entries will not be returned. Recipients will be announced on the AHA website in October 2022 and recognized during a ceremony at the January 2023 AHA annual meeting in Philadelphia.
For questions, please contact the Prize Administrator.
This year's submission deadline has passed.
The review committee contact information and prize submission form for the next competition will be posted by March 1 for submissions due May 15.
2021 Forkosch Prize
Jeffrey R. Collins, Queen’s University, Canada
In the Shadow of Leviathan: John Locke and the Politics of Conscience (Cambridge Univ. Press)
In a remarkable work of intellectual history, Jeffrey R. Collins uncovers John Locke’s deep engagement with the ideas of Thomas Hobbes. Drawing on meticulous archival research, In the Shadow of Leviathan demonstrates that Locke’s notion of religious freedom as an inalienable right arose from his grappling with Hobbes’s claim that toleration is a “gift of sovereignty.” In making this case, Collins transforms our understanding of the relationship between emerging liberalism and religion in postrevolutionary England.