Stephen Crook was TASA President (1999-2002), Joint-Editor of the Journal of Sociology (1993-1997), and Foundation Professor of Sociology at James Cook University (1998-2002). Steve had longstanding interests in social theory, the sociology of culture and political sociology. His books include: Environmentalism, Public Opinion and the Media in Australia (edited with J. Pakulski, 1998), Adorno: The Stars Down to Earth and Other Essays on the Irrational in Culture (ed, 1994), Postmodernization: Change in Advanced Society (co-authored with J. Pakulski & M. Waters, 1992), Modernist Radicalism and its Aftermath: Foundationalism and Anti-foundationalism in Radical Social Theory (1991).

Memoriam have been published in Nexus (Issue 3, 2002).

A special double issue of the Cultural Studies journal was dedicated to the memory of Stephen Crook:

Barry Sandywell 2004, ‘Beyond metaphysics and nihilism: In Memoriam: Steve Crook, sociologist and teacher (1950–2002) (1950–2002)’, in Gregory J. Seigworth and Michael E. Gardiner (eds) ‘Rethinking everyday life: And then nothing turns itself inside out’, Cultural Studies 18 (2/3), 483–493. Reproduced with kind permission of the author and publisher – Routledge.

Steve’s TASA 2000 Conference Presidential Address was published posthumously:

Germov, J. 2003,'Introduction', Journal of Sociology, 39 (1): 5.

Crook, S. 2003, ‘Change, uncertainty and the future of sociology’, TASA Conference 2000 Presidential Address, Journal of Sociology, 39 (1): 7–14.

The 2003 TASA Presidential Address was held as a symposium on the Life-work of Stephen Crook and was published in the Journal of Sociology:

John Germov 2004, ‘A Symposium on the Life and Work of Stephen Crook: Introduction’, Journal of Sociology 40: 203-204.

John Germov, 2004, ‘On the Everyday Life of a Significant Sociologist: The Life-Work of Stephen Crook, Journal of Sociology 40: 205-211.

Malcolm Waters 2004, ‘Modernist Radicalism, Postmodernization and Orderings: The Work of Stephen Crook’, Journal of Sociology 40: 213-219.

Pictured: Brady Robards (left) 2022 SCMP Chair and Xiaoying Qi (right) 2022 SCMP winner
2022: Xiaoying Qi - Remaking Families in Contemporary China

2020: Nicholas Hookway - Everyday Moralities: Doing it Ourselves in an Age of Uncertainty



2018: Alan Petersen, Megan Munsie, Claire Tanner, Casimir MacGregor and Jane Brophy – Stem Cell Tourism and the Political Economy of Hope. Palgrave Macmillan.

2016: Joel Windle – Making Sense of School Choice: Politics, Policies, and Practice Under Conditions of Cultural Diversity. Palgrave Macmillan.

2014: Fran Collyer – Mapping the Sociology of Health and Medicine: America, Britain and Australia Compared. Houndmills, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan (2012).

2012: Rob White – Transnational Environmental Crime: Toward an Eco-global Criminology. Routledge: Willan. 2011.

2010: Jack Barbalet – Weber, Passion and Profits: ‘The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism’ in Context. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2008. See Nexus 23_1 2011 for the article Jack wrote about his book and his book prize win. 

2008: Raewyn Connell – Southern Theory: The global dynamics of knowledge in social science (Allen & Unwin 2007). Raewyn Connell is a University Professor at the University of Sydney.

2005: Jan Pakulski – Globalising Inequalities: New Patterns of Social Privilege and Disadvantage (Allen and Unwin 2005). Professor Jan Pakulski is Dean of Arts at the University of Tasmania.

2003: Michael Pusey – Inaugural recipient – The Experience of Middle Australia: The Dark Side of Economic Reform (Cambridge University Press 2003).

The recipient of the Prize will receive:

• $500, a certificate and trophy
• Complimentary conference registration to attend the TASA conference at which the Prize is presented (includes conference dinner)
• An invitation to discuss their book at a Meet the Author session at the TASA conference
• A free publisher’s stand at the conference for the purpose of promoting the book
• An invitation to submit a short paper for Nexus on the book
• Publicity through the TASA membership and wider social science community

The intention of the TASA Executive Committee in awarding this prize is to recognise members’ contribution to the discipline of sociology through publication of a monograph by a recognised publisher. The general criteria for eligibility are as follows:

• Nominees must be current financial members of TASA and be resident in Australia or have been resident in Australia during some of the work for the book. If the book has more than one author, then 50 percent or more of the authors must be current financial members of TASA and be resident in Australia, or have been resident in Australia during some of the work for the book.

The nominated book must:

• be a major work of scholarship;
• have an ISBN;
• be entirely written by a single author, or by joint authors who share responsibility for the whole book (i.e. individual chapters are not attributed to different authors);
• consist mainly of previously unpublished material, and make some substantial contribution to a defined area of knowledge;
• be published by a recognised commercial press or publisher.

NOTE – Textbooks (designated by self-proclaimed student orientation and/or significant pedagogic features), edited collections, PhD theses and self-published works are excluded.

• The 2024 Prize will cover books that list 2022 or 2023 in front matter of the book (please double check this as sometimes this date is different to the date your book was released).
• Previous recipients of the award are excluded. Those who have previously nominated for the award, but were not successful, can nominate with a new entry.
• The nominated book should be clearly from the discipline of Sociology.
• The decision of the SCMP panel will be final and no further communication will be entered into.

• Nominations are sought by general invitation to Australian publishers and a general call to authors via TASAweb, TASA members’ newsletter, Twitter, Facebook and Nexus
• Nominations must be made on the online nomination form. The nomination procedure requires a $50 processing fee, which can be paid online at the end of the nomination form process.
• The completed nomination form, fee, 6 copies of the nominated print book, and a link to the nominated eBook, must be submitted by no later than March 3, 2024.  Please note: photocopied works will not be accepted.
• It is a condition of entry that publicity for the winning book refers to the prize as The Australian Sociological Association Stephen Crook Memorial Prize. The prize can be described as being awarded biennial for the ‘best authored book in Australian Sociology’.

Further details, are available from:

Sally Daly, TASA Executive Officer
Email: admin@tasa.org.au

1. The prize will be awarded to the book judged by the panel to be the best published during the nominated years. It is awarded every two years.
2. Textbooks, PhD theses, edited collections and self-published works are excluded from consideration.
3. The panel will comprise 6 members appointed by the TASA Executive Committee. The panel will normally include the TASA President or nominee, the convener, the immediate past recipient and three people drawn from the membership. Authors or co-authors of a book eligible for the prize are excluded from panel membership.
4. The selection will take place in two stages. Nominated books will be circulated to the panel. Panel members will be asked to read each nominated book, by a set date, and provide a list of three eligible books in order of merit. Books will be awarded 3 points for each 1st preference, 2 points for each 2nd preference, and 1 point for each 3rd preference.
5. The 3 books with the highest total points will be designated as a shortlist. In the event of ties, the shortlist may be longer than 3 books.
6. All members of the panel will be invited to rank the shortlist in order of merit, by a set date.
7. The recipient of the prize will be determined by calculating the number of points awarded to each short-listed book, where 3 points are given for each 1st preference, 2 for each 2nd preference, and 1 point for each third preference. The book scoring the most points wins the prize. In the event of a tie on this calculation, the prize will be awarded to the tied book receiving the most 1st preferences.
8. The prize will only be awarded if at least 50% of the panel members have participated in each of the two rounds of nominations.
9. The prize will be announced and presented to the recipient in the relevant year of the annual TASA conference.
10. The judging panel reserves the right not to award the prize.

2022

Brady Robards (Chair)

Simone Fullager

Roger Wilkinson (Executive representative)

Tristan Kennedy

Megan Sharp

Nicholas Hookway (2020 winner)

2020

Pam Nilan (Chair)

Vince Marotta

Katie Hughes (Executive representative)

Lynda Cheshire

Theresa Petray

Hannah McCann

2018

Johanna Wyn (Chair)

Martin Forsey

Pam Nilan

Garth Stahl

Karen Willis

Brady Robards

2016

Stewart Lockie (Chair)

Fran Collyer (2014 Winner)

Katie Hughes (Exec rep)

Caragh Brosnan

Gary Dowsett

Kitty te Riel

2014

Douglas Ezzy (Chair)

Dina Bowman

Nick Osbaldiston

Rob White

Nicholas Hookway

Karen Willis

2012

Professor Evan Willis (Chair)

Associate Professor Debra King (TASA Executive Representative0

Jack Barbalet (2010 SCMP winner)

Professor John McDonald (Ballarat University)

Associate Professor Kevin White (ANU)

2010

Professor Janeen Baxter (Chair)

Professor Jan Pakulski

Dr Angela Dwyer (Web Editor)

Professor Alan Petersen (General Executive Member)

Professor Sharyn Roach-Anleu

Professor Stewart Lockie

2008

Professor Chilla Bulbeck (Chair)

Professor Michael Gilding (TASA President)

Dr John Scott (JOS Editor)

Dr Fran Collyer

Dr Jo Lindsay

Dr Rosemary Pringle

2005

Dr Tim Scrase (UoW) – Chair of Committee

A/Prof Roberta Julian (UTas) – TASA President

A/Prof Michael Emmison (UQ)

Dr Mike Donaldson (UoW)

Dr Pam Nilan (Uni Newcastle)

Dr John Scott (UNE)

2003

Fran Collyer (Convener)

Maria Zadoroznyj (JOS editor)

John Germov (TASA President)

Roberta Julian

Jan Pakulski

Malcolm Waters