Best Book in Hindu-Christian Studies
A Biennial Award Honoring Excellence in Scholarship
Every two years, the society grants an award for the “Best Book in Hindu-Christian Studies.” The award, which carries an honorarium of $500, alternates between two categories, theology/philosophy and history/ethnography, each covering a four-year period.
The history/ethnography award is dedicated to the memory of Selva J. Raj, a pioneering scholar of Hindu-Christian studies and active member of the society. The current winner (for 2017-2021) is announced below.
The next prize cycles will be:
Theology/Philosophy, 2019-2023 – To be presented at the 2024 annual meeting
History/Ethnography, 2021-2025 — To be presented at the 2026 annual meeting
Best Book in Hindu-Christian Studies
(History/Ethnography), 2017-2021
The Society for Hindu-Christian Studies is pleased to announce that Jason Keith Fernades is the winner of the Selva J. Raj Award for the Best Book in Hindu-Christian Studies (History/
The society will hold a panel discussion celebrating this book at its November 2022 meeting in Denver, CO.
Congratulations are due as well to the other finalists for this award: Chad M. Bauman, Anti-Christian Violence in India (Cornell University Press, 2020); Kristin C. Bloomer, Possessed by the Virgin: Hinduism, Roman Catholicism, and Marian Possession in South India (Oxford University Press, 2018); and Sonja Thomas, Privileged Minorities: Syrian Christianity, Gender, and Minority Rights in Postcolonial India (University of Washington Press, 2018).
We would like to extend special thanks to the Book Award Committee that served for this award:
Organizer: Francis X. Clooney (HDS)
Members of the committee: Professors Vasudha Narayanan (University of Florida), Jon Paul Sydnor (Emmanuel College), Jessica Frazier (Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies), Bhakti Mamtora (University of Arizona)
Nominations Now Being Accepted
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2019-2023 Book Award in Hindu–Christian Studies (Theology/
At the society’s annual meeting in November 2023, the Book Award Committee will announce a shortlist of books under consideration. Then, by mid-2024, the committee will announce the winner. The award will be presented at a special session of our November 2024 Annual Meeting. This session will also feature a panel discussion of the book, with the author invited as respondent.
Past Winners
Winners of the Best Book in Hindu-Christian Studies award in past years are listed below. The society extends its ongoing appreciation to the authors for their extraordinary contributions to scholarship in this field.