Awardee: Karenza Sutton-Bennett, “The Female Intellect: Emerging Counterpublics of
Informally Educated Women Reading Periodicals in the Eighteenth Century.”
The committee is delighted to award the 2026 Emilie du Châtelet prize to Dr Karenza Sutton-Bennett for her project, “The Female Intellect: Emerging Counterpublics of Informally Educated Women Reading Periodicals in the Eighteenth Century.” The committee was particularly excited by the prospect of such an important intervention and corrective to traditionally male-centered ideas about the Enlightenment and the recognition of the contribution made by largely self-taught women between the middle
and end of the eighteenth century. Dr Sutton-Bennett’s clarity about the need for recognition of the role that women’s periodical literature played in this contribution as well as the importance of greater access to this periodical literature makes clear the immense value of Dr Sutton-Bennett’s body of work. The Women’s Caucus is pleased to help support the continuation of this work, and we all look forward to reading Dr
Sutton-Bennett’s book when it is published in the future, as we are sure it will be.
Committee 2025-2026
Kelly Plante
Jennifer Golightly
Kimary Fick