Lauren Berlant (1957-2021) was born on October 31, 1957, in Philadelphia and grew up in suburban Penn Valley. They graduated from Oberlin College in 1979 with an AB in English and went on to earn a master's degree in 1983 and then a Ph.D. in 1985, both in English and from Cornell University.
Berlant joined the University of Chicago faculty in 1984 and served as the George M. Pullman Distinguished Service Professor of English, Gender Studies and the Humanities. Their scholarship focused on what sentimentality means in American culture for gender, sexuality and politics. Specifically, they sought to define the desires and emotions that compel people to create forms of life that support a sense of belonging, and the complex ways in which gender, race, citizenship, class and sexuality affect and mold those attachments.
Berlant's career-defining entry to national sentimentality and affect theory began through the study of historical novels during their doctoral studies at Cornell University. At that time, their scholarship focused on how a historical novel produces a story that moves between history and subjectivity, often entwining a law plot and a love plot. Berlant recognized how structural, functional, and political norms synergize and shape subjectivity.
Notable books authored by Berlant include
Berlant passed away on June 28, 2021, from a rare form of cancer at the age of 63.
The information cited in this section was retrieved from The University of Chicago in 2021. https://news.uchicago.edu/story/lauren-berlant-preeminent-literary-scholar-and-cultural-theorist-1957-2021
Lauren Berlant, Public Lecture 1 of 2
Lauren Berlant, Public Lecture 2 of 2
This collection contains the personal and professional papers of Lauren Berlant (1957 - 2021), The George M. Pullman Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of Chicago. Their scholarship investigated the desires and emotions that compel people to create forms of life that support a sense of belonging, and the complex ways in which gender, race, citizenship, class, and sexuality affect and mold those attachments. Materials in this collection include correspondence, conference files, lecture and poetry drafts, handwritten research notes, and print materials, dating from 1922 – 2019 (bulk 1970 – 2019). This collection is arranged into 10 series.
Series 1, Personal and Biographical, 1983 – 2019, contains articles and interviews about and with Berlant, correspondence, and photographs. This series is arranged alphabetically by record type.
Series 2, ADMINISTRATIVE AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT, 1985 – 2019, includes files relating to Berlant's Leverhulme Visiting Professorships and programs for various events. Of particular note are materials related to Faculty for Divestment from South Africa. This series is arranged alphabetically by record type.
Series 3, CONFERENCES, 1996 – 2019, includes programs, agendas, and handwritten notes from conferences Berlant attended. Conferences include "Forms of Attachment: Affect at the Limits of the Political," "Pleasureless: A Queer Symposium," and "You Hurt My Feelings: Anxiety, Urgency, Outrage, Hope... A Conference on Political Feeling." This series is arranged alphabetically by conference title.
Series 4, TEACHING, 1961 – 2015, includes syllabi and readings for courses taught by Berlant. Courses include "American Women and Waiting," "Feminism and the Public Sphere," and "Queer Arts After Stonewall." This series is arranged alphabetically by course title.
Series 5, WRITINGS, circa 1980 – 2019, includes talk drafts and poetry drafts by Berlant. This series is arranged alphabetically by writing format then by title when available.
Series 6, RESEARCH, 1942 – 1997, contains annotated articles Berlant used for research. Topics include "Improving higher education" and the National Organization of Women. This series is arranged alphabetically by topic.
Series 7, PRINT MATERIALS, 1922 – 2019, includes books, journals, and a zine featuring works by Berlant and others. Titles include
Series 8, EPHEMERA, n.d., contains 2 t-shirts Berlant obtained at conferences. This series is arranged alphabetically by writing on the shirt.
Series 9, OVERSIZE MATERIALS, circa 1980 – 2019, includes awards and conference posters. This series is arranged alphabetically by format then by title.
Series 10, ELECTRONIC RECORDS, 1991 – 2012, contains cassette tapes, 3.5" computer diskettes, and CDs. This series is arranged alphabetically by record type then by title listed on the carrier.
Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. Researchers should note that compliance with copyright law is their responsibility. Researchers must determine the owners of the literary rights and obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Lauren Berlant papers, Ms.2015.009, Box [#], Folder [#], Pembroke Center Archives, John Hay Library, Brown University.
This collection is arragned into 10 series.
There are no restrictions on access for analog materials, except that the collection can only be seen by prior appointment. Some materials may be stored off-site and cannot be produced on the same day on which they are requested. Advance notice is required to view born-digital records. Born-digital materials in this collection may not have been reformatted yet. Researchers may request access to copies by contacting the John Hay Library with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed to hay@brown.edu.
Gift of Lauren Berlant beginning in 2014.