Joan Kelly Memorial Prize
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: Given the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 crisis, we are adjusting the submission process for AHA Book Prizes:
- Nominators must complete the online prize submission form by MAY 15.
- When possible, nominators are also encouraged to send hard copies (or e-books, if hard copies are unavailable) by the May 15 deadline to provide prize committees with ample time to review submissions.
- However, we are extending the deadline to receive hard copies of books by JUNE 15.
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.
Contact Information for Committee Members
Send one copy to each committee member and complete the prize submission form (above).
| Julie Hardwick Univ. of Texas, Austin Dept. of History 128 Inner Campus Dr. B7000 GAR 1.104 Austin, TX 78712-1739 jhardwick@austin.utexas.edu |
Abigail McGowan amcgowan@uvm.edu Contact for Postal Address |
Jessica Pliley 1105 Cimarron Ct. San Marcos, 78666-3172 pliley@gmail.com |
| Katherine Turk kturk@email.unc.edu Contact for Postal Address |
Sasha Turner Quinnipiac Univ. Dept. of History 275 Mt. Carmel Ave., CAS 3 Hamden, CT 06518 sturner@quinnipiac.edu |
2019 Kelly Prize
Nicole E. Barnes, Duke Univ.
Intimate Communities: Wartime Healthcare and the Birth of Modern China, 1937–1945 (Univ. of California Press)
Intimate Communities is a pathbreaking book that shows how work on women and gender can reframe our understanding of history’s defining metanarratives—in this case, the creation of modernity and the nation state in wartime China. It combines histories of emotion and of medicine to illustrate women’s significance in cultivating a modern national community. Women’s dual work as military and civilian nurses gave them unparalleled power to extend and maintain state control over the population while simultaneously “softening the disciplinary power of the state.”