Indian-origin historian Sunil Amrith has been awarded the 2025 British Academy Book Prize for his critically acclaimed work, The Burning Earth: An Environmental History of the Last 500 Years. The prestigious £25,000 prize recognises outstanding non-fiction writing in the humanities and social sciences, celebrating works that broaden global understanding through exceptional research.
Sunil Amrith British Academy Book Prize
Sunil Amrith, 46, is a Professor of History at Yale University in the United States. Born in Kenya to South Indian parents and raised in Singapore, Amrith completed his studies at the University of Cambridge, where he cultivated his interest in global environmental and migration histories. The Burning Earth traces five centuries of environmental change, examining how colonisation, industrialisation, and human settlement have shaped the natural world.
The book spans continents and historical events, connecting episodes such as the conquest of the Americas, British gold mining in South Africa, and environmental impacts of the World Wars. The British Academy commended Amrith’s work for demonstrating how human progress has often relied on environmental exploitation and for reframing world history with an ecological perspective.
The Burning Earth Explores 500 Years of Environmental Transformation
The Burning Earth highlights the intersection of empire, economy, and ecology across five centuries. Amrith’s research reveals how environmental change has been central to global history, showing the enduring consequences of human activity on the planet. The British Academy Book Prize, established in 2013, honours non-fiction that contributes to public understanding through rigorous scholarship. Past winners include acclaimed authors such as Patrick Wright and Kapka Kassabova.
Amrith’s work has previously been recognised with the MacArthur Fellowship (Genius Grant) in 2017, awarded for his contributions to migration and climate history. His latest accolade further cements his position as a leading historian bridging environmental and global historical studies.
Exceptional 2025 Shortlist Showcases Global Voices
The 2025 prize shortlist included other distinguished authors, each receiving £1,000. Notable entries were William Dalrymple for The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World, Lucy Ash for The Baton and The Cross, Bronwen Everill for Africonomics, Sophie Harman for Sick of It, and Graeme Lawson for Sound Tracks. The British Academy described the shortlist as a celebration of scholarship connecting the past and present, highlighting research-driven works that enhance public understanding of global issues.
Sunil Amrith’s Legacy in Environmental and Migration History
With the Sunil Amrith British Academy Book Prize, the historian is recognised not only for his scholarship but also for advancing global environmental consciousness. His work demonstrates the importance of viewing historical events through ecological and human lenses, reinforcing the critical role of historians in shaping public discourse on sustainability, migration, and global interconnectedness.
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