Meet our 2022 jury.

J.R. McNeill

Chair of the Jury

Award-winning environmental historian, Professor at Georgetown University

"In 2022, public events remind us once more that history is always with us shaping our world and our lives. The need for works of history that combine the highest scholarly standards with appealing prose is as urgent as ever. The Cundill History Prize shines a spotlight on exactly that sort of book. I look forward to working with fellow jurors on our task."

Misha Glenny

Former BBC Central Europe Correspondent and bestselling author

"As a writer and voracious consumer of history books, I’m always interested to observe the new trends in history writing whether micro-histories or big picture narratives. Being on the jury will doubtless introduce me to first-class work that I might otherwise have missed and I’ll be looking out for that killer combination of great story telling and meticulous, well-sourced research."

Kenda Mutongi

Professor of African, World and Gender History at MIT

"The Cundill History Prize shines the spotlight on deeply-researched histories that are literary and appeal to a broad public, exactly where the field of history should be going in this era of information wars. I am looking forward to reading the nominations alongside other historians. While giving out the prize is our ultimate goal, I am excited about the process of reading new work, arguing about it with the jury members, and learning about a range of historical perspectives."

Martha S. Jones

Professor of History at The Johns Hopkins University

"In 2022, history matters perhaps more than ever. Whether we are looking back to discover the origins of our contemporary world or looking ahead to anticipate its future, understanding the past is indispensable. The Cundill History Prize provides one road map for this urgent sort of inquiry, pointing us to works that both honor excellence in research and evidence how the best ideas can be crafted for readers of the many rather than of the few. It is a distinct honor to be part of a deliberation that looks to understand how we got here in a human sense that sets aside boundaries of geography and of politics. This humanistic approach to history makes the Cundill History Prize both distinct and vital."

Yasmin Khan

Associate Professor of British History at the University of Oxford

"I am looking forward to reading books which are original, tell new and unexpected stories and which draw on archives and the historical record from around the world. This might be micro history or history written on a grand scale, but I am drawn to the lives of people whose voices haven’t always been heard. At a time when media and politics seems to simplify and polarize, good history complicates and challenges received wisdom and standard narratives. This makes the Cundill History Prize vitally important, and I am very pleased to be a member of the 2022 Jury."

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