Second award for Professor Bridget Bennett’s study of transatlantic abolitionism

The British Association of American Studies (BAAS Book Prize) is awarded annually to the best published book in the field of American Studies

Professor Bridget Bennett has been awarded an Honourable Mention for the 2026 Book Prize by the British Association of American Studies (BAAS) for her acclaimed monograph, Antislavery in the Dissenting Atlantic: Archives and Unquiet Libraries, 1776–1865.

The prestigious recognition from the UK’s leading body for American Studies comes months after the book received the 2025 Shelley Fisher Fishkin Prize from the American Studies Association.

Published by LSU Press, Antislavery in the Dissenting Atlantic examines the transatlantic connections forged by religious nonconformist communities in England and Pennsylvania from the American Revolution to the Civil War. By drawing on extensive archival work, it brings to light the alliances, everyday cultures and often-overlooked individuals whose commitments to dissent, social justice and education helped shape antislavery activism.

The BAAS Book Prize is awarded annually to the best published book in the field of American Studies. An Honourable Mention is a significant distinction, highlighting research that demonstrates exceptional original scholarship and provides new insights into the relationship between the United States and the wider world.

Professor Bennett, who is Professor of American Literature and Culture at the University of Leeds, completed the research with the support of a Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship. Her work has led to the installation of a blue plaque on the University campus to honour local Quaker abolitionists.

Professor Bridget Bennett (second from the left) at the unveiling of a blue plaque commemorating Quaker abolitionists Mary and Wilson Armistead