Joan Kelly Memorial Prize
The 2019 submission deadline has passed. Awardees will be announced this fall.
Established in 1984 and named in memory of Joan Kelly (1928–82), this prize is awarded annually for the book in women’s history and/or feminist theory that best reflects the high intellectual and scholarly ideals exemplified by the life and work of Joan Kelly. The prize was established by the Coordinating Committee on Women in the Historical Profession and the Conference Group on Women’s History (now the Coordinating Council for Women in History), and is administered by the American Historical Association. See the list of past recipients.
The general rules for submission are:
- To be eligible for consideration, submissions shall be books in any chronological period, any geographical location, or in an area of feminist theory that incorporates a historical perspective. Books should demonstrate originality of research, creativity of insight, graceful stylistic presentation, analytical skills, and a recognition of the important role of sex and gender in the historical process. The inter-relationship between women and the historical process should be addressed.
- Books with a copyright of 2019 are eligible for the 2020 award.
- Nomination submissions may be made by an author or by a publisher. Publishers may submit as many entries as they wish. Authors or publishers may submit the same book for multiple AHA prizes.
- Nominators must complete an online prize submission form for each book submitted.
- One copy of each entry must be sent to each committee member and clearly labeled “Kelly Prize Entry.” Print copies preferred unless otherwise indicated. If only e-copy is available, please contact review committee members beforehand to arrange submission format.
Please Note: Entries must be received by May 15, 2020, to be eligible for the 2020 competition. Entries will not be returned. Recipients will be announced on the AHA website in October 2020 and recognized during a ceremony at the January 2021 AHA annual meeting in Seattle.
For questions, please contact the Prize Administrator.
The review committee contact information and prize submission form will be posted by March 1 for submissions due May 15.
2018 Kelly Prize
Tera W. Hunter, Princeton University
Bound in Wedlock: Slave and Free Black Marriage in the Nineteenth Century (Belknap Press)
Tera Hunter’s extraordinary history of African American marriage in the United States through slavery and emancipation analyzes the struggles of men and women to define a relationship over which they had almost no control. The book places the marriages of enslaved and free African Americans during the long 19th century at the center of the construction of citizenship and the nation. Hunter’s compelling analysis and exceptional research make this a signal contribution to the historical literature on race relations and gender in the United States.