Renowned Indian-origin historian Sunil Amrith has been awarded the 2025 British Academy Book Prize for his pathbreaking work “The Burning Earth: An Environmental History of the Last 500 Years.” The £25,000 award celebrates outstanding non-fiction writing in the humanities and social sciences that deepens global understanding through exceptional research and storytelling.
A Global Scholar with Indian Roots
At 46, Sunil Amrith stands among the world’s most respected historians. Born in Kenya to South Indian parents and raised in Singapore, Amrith developed a keen interest in history and migration early in life. He graduated from the University of Cambridge, where his fascination with the environmental and social consequences of global movement and empire took shape.
Today, he serves as a Professor of History at Yale University (USA), where he continues his pioneering research connecting environment, empire, and migration.
The Burning Earth: A History of Human and Environmental Transformation
Amrith’s award-winning book, “The Burning Earth,” traces five centuries of environmental change — from the European conquests of the Americas and British gold mining in South Africa to the global industrial revolution and modern ecological crises.
The British Academy praised the book for reframing world history through an ecological lens, showing how colonisation, industrialisation, and human expansion have transformed the planet. It connects global events to the modern environmental emergency, making history urgently relevant to today’s world.
Honours and Recognitions
Sunil Amrith’s contribution to global history has earned him several international accolades:
- MacArthur Fellowship (“Genius Grant”), 2017
- Infosys Prize in Humanities (History), 2016
- Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- Author of acclaimed books such as
- Crossing the Bay of Bengal: The Furies of Nature and the Fortunes of Migrants (2013)
- Unruly Waters: How Rains, Rivers, Coasts, and Seas Have Shaped Asia’s History (2018)
British Academy Book Prize 2025: Celebrating Global Scholarship
The British Academy Book Prize, founded in 2013, honours excellence in non-fiction writing across the humanities and social sciences. This year’s shortlist reflected exceptional diversity, including authors like William Dalrymple (The Golden Road), Lucy Ash, Bronwen Everill, Sophie Harman, and Graeme Lawson.
In its citation, the Academy hailed The Burning Earth as “a powerful, deeply researched narrative that connects humanity’s past ambitions with the planet’s present peril.”
Legacy and Impact
Through his research and writing, Sunil Amrith urges readers to rethink the relationship between human progress and environmental degradation. His work bridges academic insight with global relevance, positioning him as a leading voice in understanding how history can guide solutions for our shared ecological future.