Overview
SANA awards the Delmos Jones and Jagna Sharff Memorial Book Prize every other year for a single- or multiple-authored book that deals with an important social issue within the discipline of anthropology, engages North America in a substantial way, has broader implications for social change or justice, and is accessible beyond the discipline of anthropology. This year’s nominees were published in 2023 and 2024.
2025 Call for Nominations
SANA awards the Book Prize every other year for a single- or multiple-authored book. To be considered, nominated books must:
- Be published in 2023 or 2024
- Deal with an important social issue within the discipline of anthropology
- Engage North America in a substantial way
- Have broader implications for social change or justice
- Be accessible beyond the discipline of anthropology
Ineligible books include:
- Edited collections
- Any book previously nominated for this prize in 2023
Authors, publishers, or other scholars may nominate a book. Nominations must include:
- A PDF letter of nomination specifying how the book meets the criteria
- A PDF CV of the author
- An electronic copy of the book
Nominations must follow these file naming conventions:
- AuthorLastName_FirstInitial_Nomination
- AuthorLastName_FirstInitial_CV
- AuthorLastName_FirstInitial_PUBLICATIONYEAR_FirstPartOfBookTitle
Nominations will be accepted through July 15, 2025.
Upload all nomination materials here: https://go.unc.edu/SANABookPrize2025. Please direct queries to the SANA Board at sana@americananthro.org with “SANA Book Prize 2025” in the subject line.
2025 Recipients
In 2025, in recognition of the rich and diverse pool of nominations received, SANA’s Book Prize Committee decided to award prizes in two categories: Established Scholar and Emerging Scholar. Congratulations to this year’s winners and honorable mentions!
Honorable Mentions
Emerging Scholar
Sanctuary Everywhere: The Fugitive Sacred in the Sonoran Desert (Duke University Press, 2024) — Emerging Scholar
Emerging Scholar
Tip of the Spear: Black Radicalism, Prison Repression, and the Long Attica Revolt (University of California Press, 2023) — Emerging Scholar
Established Scholar
More Than Pretty Boxes: How the Rise of Professional Organizing Shows Us the Way We Work Isn’t Working (University of Chicago Press, 2024) — Established Scholar
Past Book Prize Winners
2023
Winner
Undocumented Motherhood: Conversations on Love, Trauma, and Border Crossing (University of Texas Press)
2023
Hon. Mention
Running Out: In Search of Water on the High Plains (Princeton University Press)