The Cheryl Frank
Memorial Prize 2015
The
joint winners of the prize for 2015 are Pierpaolo Donati and Margaret Archer for
their book The Relational Subject (Cambridge University Press), and Douglas Porpora for
his Reconstructing Sociology: the
Critical Realist Approach (Cambridge University Press).
The Relational Subject draws upon Donati’s relational sociology and Archer’s account of the morphogenetic society to produce a work that combines theoretical sophistication with reflection upon more practical political and social issues. The outcome is an important contribution to social theory and to the world that social theory helps constitute and comprehend. The award is also an opportunity to reflect on Margaret Archer’s outstanding contribution to critical realism and sociological theory over many years.
The Relational Subject draws upon Donati’s relational sociology and Archer’s account of the morphogenetic society to produce a work that combines theoretical sophistication with reflection upon more practical political and social issues. The outcome is an important contribution to social theory and to the world that social theory helps constitute and comprehend. The award is also an opportunity to reflect on Margaret Archer’s outstanding contribution to critical realism and sociological theory over many years.
Porpora’s Reconstructing Sociology combines thoughtfulness, acuity and wit to
explain and elaborate how central debates in the social sciences are
illuminated and effectively addressed by critical realism. Its clarity and
self-conscious humanism will make it an important intervention for critical
realism in sociology, particularly in North America.
There was an extremely strong field. The committee was impressed in different ways by all the short-listed works (see the list below), and felt that the following deserved special mention for its use of critical realist concepts to illuminate and help further an emancipatory context: Gracelyn Smallwood, Indigenist Critical Realism: Human Rights and First Australians’ Well-being (Routledge).
About the Prize
The Cheryl Frank Memorial Prize is awarded annually for a book or article that constitutes, motivates or exemplifies the best and/or most innovative writing in or about the tradition of critical realism, including the philosophy of metaReality, in the previous year. The winner will be invited to give the annual Cheryl Frank Memorial Lecture at the IACR Annual Conference or some other suitable venue. If the Author wishes, the lecture will be considered for publication in Journal of Critical Realism.
The Cheryl Frank Committee consists of one nominee each from IACR, the Centre for Critical Realism and JCR. The current members are Mervyn Hartwig, Jamie Morgan, Alan Norrie and Nick Wilson. Where the work of one of its members is being considered the Committee invites a substitute nomination from the relevant organization.
There was an extremely strong field. The committee was impressed in different ways by all the short-listed works (see the list below), and felt that the following deserved special mention for its use of critical realist concepts to illuminate and help further an emancipatory context: Gracelyn Smallwood, Indigenist Critical Realism: Human Rights and First Australians’ Well-being (Routledge).
About the Prize
The Cheryl Frank Memorial Prize is awarded annually for a book or article that constitutes, motivates or exemplifies the best and/or most innovative writing in or about the tradition of critical realism, including the philosophy of metaReality, in the previous year. The winner will be invited to give the annual Cheryl Frank Memorial Lecture at the IACR Annual Conference or some other suitable venue. If the Author wishes, the lecture will be considered for publication in Journal of Critical Realism.
The Cheryl Frank Committee consists of one nominee each from IACR, the Centre for Critical Realism and JCR. The current members are Mervyn Hartwig, Jamie Morgan, Alan Norrie and Nick Wilson. Where the work of one of its members is being considered the Committee invites a substitute nomination from the relevant organization.
Shortlist
for 2015:
- Grant Banfield, Critical Realism for Marxist Sociology of Education (Routledge)
- Roy Bhaskar, Sean Esbjorn-Hargens, Nicholas Hedlund and Mervyn Hartwig, Metatheory for the Twenty-First Century: Critical Realism and Integral Theory in Dialogue (Routledge)
- Pierpaolo Donati and Margaret S Archer, The Relational Subject (Cambridge University Press)
- Maureen Ellis, The Critical Global Educator: Global Citizenship Education as Sustainable Development (Routledge)
- Tony Lawson, The Nature and State of Modern Economics Routledge
- Douglas V Porpora, Reconstructing Sociology: the Critical Realist Approach (Cambridge University Press)
- Gracelyn Smallwood, Indigenist Critical Realism: Human Rights and First Australians’ Well-being (Routledge)
- Christian Smith, To Flourish or Destruct: a Personalist Theory of Human Goods, Motivations, Failure, and Evil (University of Chicago Press)
- Andrew Wright, Religious Education and Critical Realism: Knowledge, Reality and Religious Literacy (Routledge)
Past recipients of the Prize:
2010:
Christian Smith, What is a person? (University of Chicago Press)
Alan Norrie, Dialectic and difference. Dialectical Critical Realism and the grounds of justice (Routledge)
2011:
Chris Sarra, Strong and Smart: Towards a Pedagogy for Emancipation (Routledge)
2012:
Ruth Groff, Ontology Revisited: Metaphysics in Social and Political Philosophy (Routledge)
Nick Hostettler, Eurocentrism: A Marxian Critical Realist Critique (Routledge)
2013:
Lena Gunnarsson, The Contradictions of Love: Towards a Feminist-Realist Ontology of Sociosexuality (Routledge)
2014:
Matthew L. N. Wilkinson for his book A Fresh Look at Islam in a Multi-Faith World: A Philosophy for Success through Education (Routledge)
Matthew L. N. Wilkinson for his book A Fresh Look at Islam in a Multi-Faith World: A Philosophy for Success through Education (Routledge)
