Caroline Walker Bynum Receives 2022 Distinguished Scholar Award

Professor Emerita Caroline Walker Bynum has received the 2022 Distinguished Scholar Award from the American Catholic Historical Association (ACHA) “for a lifetime of excellence in research and scholarship in the field of medieval history.” 

“Throughout her career, she has been awarded the highest honors for any scholar in the humanities here in the United States and around the world. It is our privilege to contribute to this chorus of admiration and gratitude,” ACHA announced.

Bynum’s work has been instrumental in introducing the concept of gender into the study of medieval Christianity. ACHA recognizes her books Holy Feast and Holy Fast (1987) and The Resurrection of the Body in Western Christendom (1995) as examples of field-transforming works which call attention to issues of gender and propel the history of embodiment into premodern European Studies, in addition to her widely-cited essays. 

Established in 1919, ACHA promotes the study of Catholicism from a historical perspective, encouraging a community where historical students, archivists, and scholars can connect and develop themselves and their research. In 1993, Bynum served as ACHA President.