James Mooney (1861–1921), who worked for the Bureau of American Ethnology (now the Smithsonian Institution), is a major figure in American ethnography. His research and publications on the histories, languages, and cultures of Native American groups introduced an objective perspective and appreciation for diverse cultures within the United States, including the Kiowa, Sioux, and, most especially, the Cherokee, where his research involved long periods of residence with the Cherokee, including those in Oklahoma and the Eastern Band. His contributions to American anthropology, especially that of the US Southeast, is substantial.
The Southern Anthropological Society established the James Mooney Award in 1973 and chose as the first recipient, And They All Sang Hallelujah: Plain-Folk Camp-Meeting Religion, 1800-1845 by Dickson Bruce (1974, Univ of Tennessee Press):
“From an understanding of how they came to see the world in religious terms, one can also derive a picture of the nature of Southern life and the plain-folk’s notions of their place in it.“
The purpose of the James Mooney Award is to recognize and encourage distinguished anthropological scholarship on the South and Southerners. Presented annually, the award includes a $500 cash prize and recognition of the selected book on the SAS website. The award-winning author(s) is given honorary membership in the SAS and invited to attend the SAS annual meetings to present their research. In some years we may also have an Honorable Mention Award.
The winning Editorial Press will also receive recognition.
To be considered for the James Mooney Award, a book must have been published in the two years prior to the award cycle (e.g. for the 2027 award, whose submission deadline is December 31, 2026, books can be submitted with publication dates from 2025-2027). Judges welcome works on the U.S. South or Southern peoples and cultures (past or present) in, of, or from the region. Books may be from any subfield of anthropology or from other disciplines so long as the primary perspective of the work is anthropological. Co-authored books may be nominated, but edited volumes may not. The nomination must clearly be for a single book, even if it builds on prior work by the author or others.
Titles should be submitted for consideration by December 31. Please communicate directly with the James Mooney Award Chair and Coordinator, Dr. Andria Timmer ([email protected]) to request the institutional addresses of the current Mooney Readers. Copies of the nominated book (digital or hard copy) should be sent directly to each Reader on the Selection Committee.
Nominations for the James Mooney Award may be submitted by a press or an individual author (self-nominations are accepted). A nomination by email should include
The letter of nomination should include three copies of the book, one for each member of the Selection Committee; digital copies or hard copies are welcome. The current Mooney Prize Chair and Coordinator is also listed under Current Officers and Committees of the SAS.
An unsuccessful title may be re-submitted once. A book is eligible for nomination twice over a two-year window.
Books will be judged by a committee of anthropologists from different specialties in the discipline. The winner will be announced at the annual meeting of the Southern Anthropological Society.
Dr. Andria Timmer, Mooney Award Chair and Coordinator
Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Social Work, and Anthropology
Christopher Newport University
1 Avenue of the Arts, Newport News, VA 23606
Phone: 757-594-8543
[email protected]
* First Mooney Award Winner