History Book Club April 2026 | Jewish Books in North Africa: Between the Early Modern and Modern Worlds

What is the History Book Club?

The History Book Club is a monthly event series that brings together alumni, faculty, students, and friends of the History Department to engage virtually with our faculty and graduates, and learn about their recently published books.

Do I need to read the book to attend this gathering?

You do not! Our History Book Club gatherings are designed to be enjoyed by any history-lover, whether or not you’ve read the featured book.

About the book

Jewish Books in North Africa: Between the Early Modern and Modern Worlds

(Indiana University Press, June 2025) 

Jewish Books in North Africa delves into the multifaceted significance of books among North African Jews. From the late Middle Ages to the 19th century, this exploration encompasses the history, manufacture, distribution, and readership of Jewish books. These texts were not mere vessels of knowledge; they were integral to a vibrant cultural tapestry that stretched across North Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.

Author Noam Sienna unveils a vast Sephardic world created by these books. This literary network transcended geographical boundaries, connecting Jewish communities from Fez and Tunis to Salonica, Jerusalem, and Livorno.By examining cultural centers and tracing the journey of these texts, Sienna provides depth to our understanding of a remarkably global and worldly book culture, and its evolving role in the growth of Jewish modernity.

While the content of Jewish books has long fascinated scholars, Jewish Books in North Africa shifts our focus to the physical context. These books were not isolated artifacts; they were embedded in cultural networks during a period of religious, political, and cultural transformation. Sienna's work sheds light on the intricate interplay between books and the dynamic world in which they existed.

About the hosts 

Noam Sienna (PhD ‘20) is a scholar of Jewish culture in the Islamic world, focusing on book history and material culture. He is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the University of Toronto, where he studies Jewish books in the medieval and early modern Mediterranean as part of the interdisciplinary project Hidden Stories: New Approaches to the Local and Global History of the Book. Additionally, he is the Jerome and Lorraine Aresty Visiting Scholar with Rutgers University for Spring 2026. Our department is excited to welcome Dr. Sienna as the new Deinard Chair in Jewish History starting next fall semester.

JB Shank is a professor of History with the Unviersity of Minnesota  and an affiliate faculty member with German, Nordic, Slavic & Dutch Studies. Shank is a historian of European modern scientific thought and culture through the 1800s, teaching courses on European Intellectual history, the origins of Global Revolution, and knowledge production in Early Modern Europe.