The Baron Book prize for 2016 was awarded to: Jessica M. Marglin of University of Southern California for Across Legal Lines: Jews and Muslims in Modern Morocco (Yale University Press)
Using a trove of documents from one important Jewish family from Fez, Marglin opens up a new perspective on the permeable boundaries between Jews and Muslims in nineteenth-century Morocco before colonial reforms abruptly curtailed their legal mobility. We are surprised to learn that Jews were adept at shari’a law and advocated for themselves in Muslim courts. Their ability to pursue their interests here as well as in Jewish and consular courts contributes to an expanded vision of legal pluralism and an enhanced understanding of how Jews operated in an unequal but integrated society. Across Legal Lines is written with wit and elan in style that invites both general and scholarly readers.
Honorable Mention is awarded to: Maya Barzilai of University of Michigan for Golem: Modern Wars and Their Monsters (New York University Press)