Dr. Daniel Murphree, assistant professor of history at The University of Texas at Tyler, has been recognized for his non-fiction book on Florida, Dr. Alisa White, interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, announced.

Constructing Floridians, Natives, and Europeans in the Colonial Floridas, 1513-1783 received a silver medal in the Florida Book Awards first set of competitions. Murphree’s work, published by University of Florida Press, was one of 70 books submitted in seven categories.

Constructing Floridians evaluates the process by which European settlers generated images and understandings of Native Americans in the colonial Floridas and used these perceptions to foster a unique Floridian identity.

The Florida Book Awards was established in 2006 to recognize, honor and celebrate the best Florida literature published the previous year. 

It is coordinated by The Florida State University Program in American and Florida Studies and co-sponsored by the Florida Center for the Book, State Library and Archives of Florida, Florida Historical Society, Florida Humanities Council, Florida Literary Arts Coalition, Florida Library Association, “Just Read, Florida!,” Governor’s Family Literacy Initiative, Florida Association for Media in Education, Florida Center for the Literary Arts and Florida Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America.