Clifford Geertz Book Prize in the Anthropology of Religion
Scholarly SocietySociety for the Anthropology of Religion, American Anthropological Association · November 22, 2024The Clifford Geertz Prize in the Anthropology of Religion seeks to encourage excellence in the anthropology of religion by recognizing an outstanding recent book in the field. The Prize is named in honor of the late Professor Clifford Geertz, in recognition of his many distinguished contributions to the anthropological study of religion. In awarding the Prize, the Society hopes to foster innovative scholarship, the integration of theory with ethnography, and the connection of the anthropology of religion to the larger world.
Winner: Karma and Grace: Religious Difference in Millennial Sri Lanka (Columbia University Press) by Neena Mahadev.
Reviewer comment: “Mahadev demonstrates the significance of religion and religious identity in the public sphere. The author shows how anthropology, and its attention to subtle gestures, rumors, and breakdowns between the said and the enacted, contributes to our understanding of religious pluralism. She deftly sketches the history and media of her fieldsites to make subtle and forceful arguments. In clear writing that demonstrates the breadth of her fieldwork, she draws effectively on theory to sketch her neat (but not too neat!) characterization of the theopolitics of karma and grace. This is a beautifully crafted monograph that underlines the necessity for the anthropology of religion in understanding individual subjectivities and national political conflicts/tensions.”More about this award
Claremont Prize - Book Prize in Religion
SchoolInstitute for Religion, Culture, and Public Life, Columbia University · 2021The publication prize is awarded to the best first book manuscript by early career scholars working in any discipline of the humanities or social sciences, submitted to the Columbia University Press book series on Religion, Culture, and Public Life.
Eligible manuscripts can examine any aspect of the study of religion, including the study of secularism. Prize-winners will be invited to participate in a book workshop with members of the IRCPL faculty board, and the book, when finalized, will appear in IRCPL’s series, “Religion, Culture, and Public Life,” published by Columbia University Press.More about this award
