Call for Nominations (Deadline July 1, 2024):
Clay Morgan Award for Best Book in Environmental Political Theory


The Environmental Political Theory Section of the Western Political Science Association (WPSA) invites nominations for the Sixth Annual Clay Morgan Award for the Best Book in Environmental Political Theory.

The purpose of this award is to recognize outstanding scholarship, published in a book-length monograph, which utilizes the resources, literatures, and approaches of the field of political theory to address intersections between contemporary or historical environmental challenges on the one hand and the philosophical and ideological concepts, principles, and debates animating political life on the other. While the focus of the award is on political theory, we welcome books that make a contribution to the field from related disciplines – including, but not limited to, anthropology, environmental humanities, ethnic studies, geography, indigenous studies, philosophy, political economy, science and technology studies, or sociology.

Nominations must have been originally published within the last two calendar years (2023-2024). A book may be re-nominated in its second year of eligibility. Books may be co-authored, but edited collections are not eligible. Questions may be directed to the committee chair, Gwen Ottinger, ottinger@drexel.edu.

The committee anticipates announcing the award winner in October 2024. The book will be honored with a roundtable discussion at the next WPSA annual meeting, in Seattle, Washington, in April 2025.

Nominations will be accepted from authors, colleagues, and/or publishers. To be considered, arrangements should be made for the publisher to mail copies of the nominated book to the three committee members, below, to arrive by July 1 2024. Publishers should contact the committee chair, Gwen Ottinger, at ottinger@drexel.edu for mailing information.

Gwen Ottinger, Chair
Drexel University

Matthew Harvey
Princeton University

June Ann Jones
University of Texas at Dallas

The namesake of the award: Clay Morgan was an acquisitions editor in the field of environmental studies, first with SUNY Press and then for many years with MIT Press. He retired in January 2014. Throughout his career, Clay was uniquely influential in acquiring manuscripts in the field of environmental political theory, and thereby in helping to cultivate, shape, and support the development of this scholarly field.