Sunil Amrith Awarded 2025 British Academy Book Prize
Sunil Amrith, Henry R. Luce Director of the Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies, has been awarded the 2025 British Academy Book Prize for his acclaimed book The Burning Earth: A Story of Africa, America, and the Planet in Crisis (W.W. Norton, 2024). Amrith was named the 13th winner of the prize.
In selecting The Burning Earth, the jury praised Amrith's work, “It is vivid in detail and beautifully written – important reading for anyone seeking to understand the origins of today’s climate crisis.”
Through his study of climate and migration across continents, Amrith illuminates how histories of colonialism, capitalism, and environmental change continue to shape our shared future.
This is the latest in a series of major honors recognizing Amrith’s scholarship and public engagement, including the 2025 Dayton Literary Peace Prize and the 2016 Infosys Prize in Humanities.