Women, Politics and the Public Sphere has explored the relationship between women, political discourse and political representation historically, contemporaneously and cross-culturally. In the chapters of this book I have traced the emergence of women public intellectuals from the 18th century to the present day.

Chapter One outlined the significance of the bluestockings, bluestocking circles and bluestocking philosophy and showed how the gender politics of the bluestockings can be differentiated from the radical politics of women political thinkers and philosophers such as Mary Wollstonecraft and Catherine Macaulay. As Kelly (2001) notes, the conservative gender politics of the bluestockings is in stark contrast to the republicanism of Catherine Macaulay and the gender-equality rhetoric of Mary Wollstonecraft. Kelly goes further in describing the ‘counter-Revolutionary’ conservatism of the bluestockings as part of a ‘remasculinization’ of culture.

However, despite their divergent views, emphasis was given by both groups to women's education and to building up networking and mentoring of women. They established the basis of the emergence of women as public intellectuals. These women were prolific in their publications and social engagement in establishing women's scholarship.

Secondly, Elizabeth Montagu acted as a mentor for women writers and used her house as a meeting place for bluestocking circles. The focus of the circles was women, although some men did attend. Eger (2005) notes that Montagu's circles encouraged debate and dialogue between men and women in periodicals and literature. Thirdly, members of the bluestockings also established women as significant scholarly authors, including Elizabeth Montagu and Elizabeth Carter. As Eger (2005) notes, Montagu also encouraged women from a diversity of backgrounds to move into publishing. Fourthly, the bluestockings also established a strong sense of community between women. However, Guest (2003) notes that they did not have a distinctly political character, unlike men's association with the world of letters, which gave them a more distinctively political character.

What is clear is that the bluestockings, among others, provided the potential for the growth and expansion of women as public intellectuals in Britain and Europe. Hesse's (2005a) work on Europe shows the expansion of women as public intellectuals in a range of institutions in society and, increasingly, into the professions.