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Posthumus fellow Janna Coomans wins Libris Geschiedenis Prijs for book ‘Dievenland’
The Libris Geschiedenis Prijs 2025 has been awarded to Janna Coomans, Assistant Professor at Utrecht University, fellow of the N.W. Posthumus Institute and coordinator of our Research Network ‘Economy and Society of the Pre-industrial Low Countries in Comparative Perspective’ for her publication Dievenland – overleven in de Middeleeuwen [transl. Country of Thieves – surviving in the Middle Ages].
The prize is annually awarded to the best history book aimed at a general public. The book is selected by an expert jury based on the criteria of having an original concept, being pleasant to read and being based of solid historical research. According to the jury report, ‘By using confessions and official reports Janna Coomans brings a world to life, one hardly reads about: the underclass of society in the late Middle Ages. Janna draws a picture of crime and jutice in the Low Countries, but also sheds light on the social structures and the importance of material goods in those times, which sharply contrasts with our current-day ‘throwaway society’. Coomans’ drive for research has produced a book that is as craftfull as it is compelling, specifically making the atypical people in the Middle Ages interesting’.
The N.W. Posthumus Institute congratulates Janna with this award!
