British-Kuwait Friendship Society Book Prize

2022

 Winning titles

The last great war of antiquity
by James Howard-johnston
(oxford university press)

This book fills a gaping hole in the history of warfare. The conflict lasted twenty-five years (spring 603–late winter 628). It was on an unprecedented scale, ideologically charged, fought along the full length of the Persian-Roman frontier, and drawing in the great powers of the steppe world. It brought the classical phase of history to a close and ushered in a new Islamic era. There was drama aplenty, culminating in the final, forlorn counteroffensive thrusts of the Emperor Heraclius deep into Persian territory. The book describes the unfolding of events and something of the detective work required to piece together a connected narrative. It also introduces the principal participants—Turks, Arabs, and Avars as well as Persians and Romans (Appendix 1), provides a tour of the Middle East (Appendix 2), and, for the historiographical infrastructure, presents a survey and evaluation of the extant sources (Appendix 3). Attention is paid to underlying structures in both belligerent empires and in the Middle East under Persian occupation in the 620s. But the decisions and actions of individuals, above all of Heraclius, a general of rare talent, and the various immaterial factors affecting morale are placed centre stage.

“This is a grand book on a grand scale.lent and eminently readable book on an important but often unjustly forgotten conflict. It is especially noteworthy that the book devotes substantial time and space to the Persian side, not just the Roman

“James Howard-Johnston undoubtedly succeeds in his aim to write a lucid, engaging, and detailed account of the last Roman-Persian war. This powerful conflict was perhaps the most significant contest to take place during Late Antiquity. It is a great achievement that this key event has at long last been so skilfully analysed by a superb scholar. It only remains to add that the book is brought to life in unexpected ways by its beautiful pictures, and is rendered fully user-friendly by a brilliant bibliography and index and impeccable footnotes‘Zaina Maasri’s book is unique in terms of its originality and scope. She provides a counterpoint to Western-centric histories and theories of design and visual culture and adds to growing scholarship examining the processes of decolonisation in the region.’

‘For the field of Middle East Studies, many new ideas and theories related to design, aesthetics and cultural production are introduced in a clear and well-referenced way. Moreover, the reproduction of source material as illustrations and plates in the book serve as useful visual tools and reference points for the reader, especially in the absence of holdings of much of this material in institutional libraries and archives.  And  they make the book very visually appealing.’ 

Anonymous reviewer

James Howard-Johnston is an English historian of the Byzantine Empire. He was University Lecturer in Byzantine Studies at the University of Oxford. He is an emeritus fellow of Corpus Christi College, Oxford.

Shari’a inshallah: finding god in somali legal politics
Mark fathi massoud
(cambridge University Press)

Western analysts have long denigrated Islamic states as antagonistic, even antithetical, to the rule of law. Mark Fathi Massoud tells a different story: for nearly 150 years, the Somali people have embraced shari'a, commonly translated as Islamic law, in the struggle for national identity and human rights. Lawyers, community leaders, and activists throughout the Horn of Africa have invoked God to oppose colonialism, resist dictators, expel warlords, and to fight for gender equality - all critical steps on the path to the rule of law. Shari'a, Inshallah traces the most dramatic moments of legal change, political collapse, and reconstruction in Somalia and Somaliland. Massoud upends the conventional account of secular legal progress and demonstrates instead how faith in a higher power guides people toward the rule of law.

‘In this highly original and very readable study of legal politics in Somalia, the author examines the complex relationship between the rule of law, legitimacy and religion. Based on meticulous ethnographic and archival research this book brings its subject matter to life by investigating the ways in which Somalis encounter and give meaning to the law.

‘In his lucid account of recent history and contemporary politics the author demonstrates how the Shari`a has been the key to establishing political authority in Somalia, not simply from the perspective of the elites but from the grassroots. It was this which allowed the ICU (the Islamic Courts Union) to establish a brief period of stability through the general acceptance of its rulings. Professor Massoud’s careful and sensitive understanding of the operation of what was in many ways a plural Islamic legal system and its confrontations with those who wanted to simplify, unify and dictate the law – be they armed warlords, ideologues or central government – helps to explain much that has been omitted from the analysis of Somalia’s recent history.’

Anonymous reviewer

Mark Fathi Massoud is a professor of politics and legal studies at UC Santa Cruz and a visiting professor at the University of Oxford Faculty of Law. Visit people.ucsc.edu/mmassoud for bio, CV, and publications.

Titles receiving an honorary mention

Mosul under ISIS: Eyewitness Accounts of Life in the Caliphate
by Mathilde Becker Aarseth
(IB Tauris)

Jihad in the City
by Raphael Lefevre
(Cambridge University Press)