An “eclectic and remarkable” book about expatriates has won a prestigious sociology award.

‘Expatriate: Following A Migration Category’, by Dr Sarah Kunz, of the University of Essex, wins this year’s Philip Abrams Memorial book prize.

The book, published by Manchester University Press last year, traces the notion of ‘expatriate’ from the mid-20th era of decolonisation to today’s debates about migration, drawing on ethnographic and archival research.

The prize, worth £1,000, is given each year by the British Sociological Association to a researcher’s best first and sole-authored book within the discipline of sociology. It was established in honour of Professor Abrams (1933-1981), whose work contributed substantially to sociology and social policy research in Britain.

This year’s judges – two BSA trustees, Professor Catherine Pope and Dr Maryam Sholevar, and the BSA President, Professor Rachel Brooks – said the book was “engaging and methodologically original.

“It manages to situate the topic in historical and contemporary contexts, revealing uncomfortable truths about colonialism and racism.

“It shows us why the category of expatriate matters and why a sociological lens is needed to interrogate it. It makes important contributions to the sociology of migration, race, globalisation, and broader points about society are also drawn out well. An eclectic and remarkable piece of sociology.”

The runner-up for the award was ‘Race, Class, Parenting and Children’s Leisure’, by Dr Utsa Mukherjee, of Brunel University London, which looks at how parents organise children’s leisure, relating this to class and ethnicity.

The other books shortlisted for the award were: ‘Calling for the Super Citizen: Naturalisation Procedures in the United Kingdom and Germany’, by Elisabeth Badenhoop; ‘Brexit, Facebook, and Transnational Right-Wing Populism’, by Natalie-Anne Hall; and ‘Revolution of Things: The Islamism and Post-Islamism of Objects in Tehran’, by Kusha Sefat.

For more information, please contact: 

Tony Trueman
British Sociological Association
Tel: 0044 (0) 7964 023392 
tony.trueman@britsoc.org.uk

Notes:

The British Sociological Association’s charitable aim is to promote sociology. It is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales. Company Number: 3890729. Registered Charity Number 1080235 www.britsoc.co.uk