The 2018 HOTCUS article prize was awarded to Christopher Phelps (University of Nottingham) for his article “The Sexuality of Malcolm X,” which was published in the Journal of American Studies. In awarding the prize, the committee provided the following citation:
In this bold and engrossing article, Christopher Phelps takes a subject many of us will feel we know well – the life and times of Malcolm X – and forces us to rethink it anew. By scouring the historical record for discussions of Malcolm’s sexuality and placing the resulting findings against the backdrop of the historical literature on both black radicalism and American sexualities, Phelps brings clarity to a set of controversial historical questions, as well as making a major contribution to these important sub-fields of modern US history. The article’s themes are unfolded elegantly along the complex twists and turns of the evidential trail, offering both an education in the nature of historical research and a model of lucid, engaging prose. Ultimately, then, this is an article that all HOTCUS members should read and share with their students.