2004 John McMenemy Prize

Winner: Joanne Boucher

Male Power and Contract Theory: Hobbes and Locke in Carole Pateman’s The Sexual Contract, Canadian Journal of Political Science 36:1

Excerpt from jury report: In “Male Power and Contract Theory: Hobbes and Locke in Carole Pateman’s The Sexual Contract”, Joanne Boucher critically analyzes Carole Pateman’s novel and provocative reading of classical social contract theory. While providing an insightful exposition and assessment of Pateman’s gendered overview of social contract theory found in the writings of Hobbes and Locke, Joanne offers a nuanced critique of Pateman’s work, highlighting certain of the difficulties of viewing contract theory through the lens of a sexual contract. Joanne’s work also advances contemporary social contract theory, suggesting lines of inquiry designed to probe power relations between individuals, genders, classes, and communities.