Beth Lew-Williams wins Cundill History Prize for book on anti-Chinese discrimination
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TORONTO – Princeton professor Beth Lew-Williams has won this year’s Cundill History Prize for “John Doe Chinaman: A Forgotten History of Chinese Life under American Racial Law.”
Lew-Williams received the US$75,000 award during a ceremony in Montreal on Friday for the book that explores the laws that constrained the lives of Chinese immigrants in the 19th century American West.
In a press release Cundill jurors praise her work for being “dazzlingly innovative and hard-hitting.”
Award organizers say the book examines court records, immigration files and personal accounts to show the extent of anti-Chinese discrimination and “restores individuality and humanity to lives once obscured by prejudice.”
The runners-up for the prize, who each receive US$10,000, are Jonathan Cheng for “Korean Messiah: Kim II Sung and the Christian Roots of North Korea’s Personality Cult” and Alexander Lee for “The First Ghetto: Venice and the Jews.”
The prestigious prize is run by McGill University and recognizes history writing in English.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct 23, 2026.