Kwame Anthony Appiah has been awarded the Library of Congress $500,000 Kluge Prize for Achievement in the Study of Humanity, which recognizes "individuals whose outstanding scholarship in the humanities and social sciences has shaped public affairs and civil society."
"Dr. Appiah's philosophical work is elegant, groundbreaking and highly respected," said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden Hayden. "His writing about race and identity transcends predictable categories and encourages dialogue across traditional divisions. He is an ideal recipient for the 2024 Kluge Prize, and we were thrilled to select him for this award."
Appiah is the Silver Professor of Philosophy and Law at New York University and the author of more than a dozen books, including In My Father's House: Africa in the Philosophy of Culture, a major work in contemporary Africana studies.
Appiah is the current president of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He has served as a member of the Advisory Board of the National Museum for African Art, chair of the board of the American Council of Learned Societies, and president of PEN America Center, the Modern Language Association, and of the American Philosophical Association, Eastern Division.