2025 Best First Book on the History of Religion, American Academy of Religion

Department of History Associate Professor Rajbir Singh Judge has been awarded “Best First Book in the History of Religions” by the American Academy of Religion (the largest scholarly society on the study of religion) for his recently published monograph, Prophetic Maharaja: Loss, Sovereignty, and the Sikh Tradition in Colonial South Asia(Columbia University Press, 2024). In addition to this award, Prophetic Maharaja was also one of the finalists for the "Excellence in the Study of Religion: Analytical-Descriptive Studies" award.

The American Academy of Religion recognizes new scholarly publications that make significant contributions to the study of religion. The awards honor books of distinctive originality, intelligence, and creativity, and these titles affect decisively how religion is examined, understood, and interpreted.

In the AAR announcement, Dr. Judge was praised for his sophisticated work and contribution to the history of the study of Sikh religion in his book that "illuminates not only a significant epoch in Colonial South Asia, but also the global experience of loss and sovereignty, as well as the possibility of transmission of an uprooted and dislocated tradition.”