The New Jersey Studies Academic Alliance (NJSAA), in collaboration with the History & Preservation Section of the New Jersey Library Association, Rutgers University Press, and Special Collections and University Archives of Rutgers University Libraries, has announced the recipients of its 2025 Author Awards. These annual awards honor outstanding publications that offer new insights into New Jersey’s history and culture through original research and innovative use of local resources.
This year’s award in the Edited Works category has been presented to Aldo A. Lauria Santiago and Ulla D. Berg, editors of Latinas/os in New Jersey: Histories, Communities, and Cultures, published by Rutgers University Press.
The volume offers a rich, interdisciplinary exploration of the diverse Latina/o communities that have shaped—and continue to shape—the cultural, economic, and political fabric of New Jersey. Spanning topics from migration and labor to activism and cultural expression, the book provides a long-overdue scholarly focus on one of the state’s most dynamic and historically significant populations.
In addition to the editors, the book brings together a broad and impressive group of scholars whose contributions deepen the volume’s impact and scope. Their collective work represents a major milestone in the study of Latina/o histories and communities in the region.
The Center for Latin American Studies at Rutgers University congratulates Professors Lauria Santiago and Berg—as well as all contributing authors—on this well-deserved recognition and the important scholarly achievement it represents.