London: Indian-origin author Mahmood Mamdani has been shortlisted for the British Academy Book Prize this year for his book 'Neither Settler nor Native: The Making and Unmaking of Permanent Minorities'.
The book is described as an in-depth inquiry into political modernity, colonial and postcolonial, and an exploration of the roots of violence that has plagued post-colonial society. The 75-year-old Mumbai-born Ugandan academic and writer is in the running for the GBP 25,000 non-fiction prize with other four authors from around the world.
Others on 2021 shortlist include Sri Lankan-born Cambridge historian Sujit Sivasundaram for Waves across the South: A New History of Revolution and Empire', a maritime history of the Empire. Scotland-based Cal Flynn is shortlisted for Islands of Abandonment: Life in the Post-Human Landscape', an exploration of the ecology and psychology of abandoned places. Eddie S. Glaude Jr, chair of the Department of African American studies at Princeton University, is in the running for Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and its Urgent Lessons for Today', dubbed a searing indictment of racial injustice in America, inspired by the life and work of the American essayist, novelist and playwright James Baldwin.
The international book prize rewards and celebrates the best works of non-fiction that have contributed to public understanding of world cultures and is intended to introduce readers to books on urgent and globally significant topics.
Professor Julia Black, President of the British Academy said that the Academy is honoured to support this unique non-fiction book prize which celebrates exceptional writers who illuminate the interconnections and divisions that shape cultural identity worldwide.
The 2021 winner will be announced on October 26 by the British Academy, the UK's national voice for the humanities and social sciences
This year's shortlist shows the breadth and depth of the humanities and social sciences and the vital role they can play in deepening our understanding of people, cultures and societies," said Black
The winner in 2020 was Hazel V. Carby for Imperial Intimacies: A Tale of Two Islands' and other previous winners include Toby Green, Kapka Kassabova, Neil MacGregor and Karen Armstrong