UF history professor wins international book prize

June 26, 2008

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Juliana Barr, University of Florida assistant professor of history, was recently awarded one of the top international book awards for female historians. Barr received the Berkshire Conference of Women’s Books Prize for her first book, “Peace Came in the Form of a Woman: Indians and Spaniards in the Texas Borderlands.” The book was published in 2007.

The annual award captures attention from historians around the world.

“If you look back on history and look back at the winners, really amazing people have won this award,” said Joseph Spillane, associate professor and chair of the history department. “To win this award is remarkable.”

The tri-annual Berkshire Conference of Women Historians was founded in 1930 to celebrate women’s accomplishments in the history field. Even though women were allowed to join the American Historical Association in the early 20th century, they were not invited to attend networking events such as dinners and parties. In response to this, the women historians founded their own networking weekend.

Since its beginnings in 1930, the Berkshire Conference of Women Historians has grown to an event that draws thousands of women from around the world.

This conference sponsors gatherings at major historical conferences throughout the year, and women are awarded annual prizes including “best book” for a new author and “best article” of the year.

This book examined and revised the understanding of relations between Europeans and Indians by examining a place and time when Europeans were not the dominant power.

“Above all, this award is about getting recognition that she (Barr) is making a significant impact with her work as a historian,” Spillane said.

Barr specializes in the history of American Indians, gender, early America and the Spanish Borderlands. She joined the UF Department of History in 2004.