The Labrecque-Lee Book Prize was established in 2018, and named in honour of two outstanding Canadian anthropologists. Marie-France Labrecque, Emeritus Professor at the Université Laval Department of Anthropology, where she taught for more than 30 years. Since 1982, she has (co)authored or (co)edited nine books on gender, migration and mobility in Mexico. In 2015, she was awarded the Weaver-Tremblay prize by CASCA, celebrating her contributions to Canadian anthropology. Richard Borshay Lee is Emeritus Professor at the University of Toronto Department of Anthropology. Since 1965, he has participated as (co)author or (co)editor of nine books on the hunter-gatherers of Africa and North America. In 2016, he was appointed Officer of the Order of Canada and he is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

The Labrecque-Lee Book Prize honours a single or co-authored monograph on sociocultural, archaeological, bio-cultural, ethnohistorical or linguistic work, in French or English. It is given to CASCA members who demonstrate a Canadian affiliation through either their fieldwork, institution, degree or funding. The winner is honoured at the CASCA annual meeting and receives a $500 award. In 2024, the Committee was composed of Greg Beckett, Emmanuelle Bouchard-Bastien,
Eve Haque, Michael Hathaway and Chantal White. Nine monographs were submitted. The  Committee’s criteria are richness and depth of ethnography, strength of theoretical work, literary style, originality, and contribution to anthropological debates.

The Committee is pleased to announce that the 2024 winner is Lindsay A. Bell, for her book Under Pressure. Diamond Mining and Everyday Life in Northern Canada. Dr. Lindsay A. Bell is an associate professor of anthropology at Western University. This monograph offers a rich insight into the daily life of Hay River, Northwest Territories, Canada. It brings to light profound conversations and reflections on the meaning of life, hope and despair of the Indigenous, non-Indigenous and immigrant populations who find themselves entangled in contexts of industrial change and major development. This book offers a combination of deep community perspectives and incisive critical insights into capitalist, nationalist and globalist normativities. Committee members also noted the quality and clarity of the writing and the potential of this book as a teaching tool.

The Committee also wishes to award an honorary mention to Daniel Ruiz-Serna for his book When Forests Run Amok. War and Its Afterlives in Indigenous and Afro-Colombian Territories. Dr. Daniel Ruiz-Serna is lecturer of anthropology at Dawson College. This monograph offers a groundbreaking perspective on the ontological dimensions of war and its aftermath in the traditional territories of Indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities in the Lower Atrato region in Colombia. Combining
evocative photography with deeply contemplative text, this book shows how these communities grapple with the complex and contradictory significance of these lands, waters and the beings who also live alongside them. The award and honourable mention will be presented at the Annual General
Meeting on May 2025 in Montréal.