Feminist Theory is defined as an extension of feminism, which believes in the equality of the sexes, into a theoretical, sociological, or philosophical discourse. It is a scholarly persuit that aims to understand the nature of gender inequality and covers fields like pyshoanalysis, philosophy, anthropology, biology, literature, education, economics, and many other fields.
The Feminist Theory Archive was established in 2003 by Elizabeth Weed, Director of the Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women at Brown University (2000-2010), in order to document the work of influential feminist theorists who had transformed the landscape of higher education through their writing, teaching, institution building, and activism. Scholars such as Brown University Professor Naomi Schor, whose papers served as the seed collection for the archive, were first in their fields to approach their research subjects through the lens of gender. As an example, Schor's academic background was in French Literature but she focused her research on subjects such as female fetishism, deconstruction in literature, the concept of details and ornamentation as effeminate, and universalism in an era of identity politics and difference. Beginning in the 1960s, Schor then taught courses on these subjects and along with other groundbreaking feminist theorists such as Judith Butler and Anne Fausto-Sterling, caused a paradigm shift in the way scholars and students studied all fields of higher education including English, History, Anthropology, and Biology, placing sex and gender at the center of theorectical study.
Upon Naomi Schor's untimely death in 2001, Elizabeth Weed and other leadership from the Pembroke Center realized that evidence of her life and scholarship did not have an appropriate archival home. As a result, Weed and others conceptualized the idea to develop an archive for the papers of feminist theorists at the Pembroke Center and to house the collections and provide access to them through the John Hay special collections library at Brown University.
Since 2003, the collection has grown and now includes the papers of theorists across discplines including feminist theorists and other scholars of difference with specializations in queer theory, Black feminist theory, global feminisms and affect theory related to gender and sexuality studies.
The Feminist Theory Archive is curated by the Nancy L. Buc '65 LLD'94 hon Pembroke Center Archivist who works in close collaboration with the Director of the Pembroke Center, the Pembroke Center Faculty Board, and colleagues from the John Hay Library to select appropriate collections for inclusion. The principles that guide curatorial decision making for the Feminist Theory Archive are that scholars be senior in their fields or on a trajectory towards senior leadership and are groundbreakers -- theorists who have transformed and diversified the very meaning of “feminist” research through their lives and scholarship.
As of 2024, the Feminist Theory Archive continues to grow and places a particular emphasis on Black feminist theory and thinking, as part of the Pembroke Center’s Black Feminist Theory Project.
For more information about the Feminist Theory Archive, please see its
Established in 2003 with the papers of the late Naomi Schor, the Feminist Theory Archive documents the work of influential feminist theorists and scholars of difference who have transformed the landscape of higher education through their writing, teaching, institution building, and activism. By establishing academic programs and institutes, organizing innovative conferences and publications, and introducing questions about women and gender to a range of disciplines throughout the humanities and social sciences, these thinkers have transformed and diversified the very meaning of “feminist” research. The Feminist Theory Archive gathers, catalogs, and preserves evidence of this groundbreaking work in order to make it accessible to future scholars and students at the John Hay Library.
The Feminist Theory Archive collection consists of links to the manuscript collections that are processed and avaialble for research as part of the Feminist Theory Archive. The collection is arranged in one series, alphabetically by the last name of the donor to the Feminist Theory Archive. By clicking on the links included in this finding aid, researchers will be redirected to the corresponding online finding aids for individual collections.
To identify potential collections for research that are part of the Feminist Theory Archive or to locate information within individual Feminist Theory Archive collections, researchers are welcomed to contact the Nancy L. Buc '65 LLD'94 hon Pembroke Center Archivist at pembroke_archives@brown.edu.
All researchers seeking to publish materials from the collections of the John Hay Library are requested to complete a Notice of Intent to Publish, available on the John Hay Library website or by request, prior to reproducing, quoting, or otherwise publishing any portion or extract from this collection. Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. It is up to the researcher to determine the owners of the literary rights and to obtain any necessary permissions from them.
There are no restrictions on access, except for specifically noted material within individual collections. Feminist Theory Archive collections 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.
Feminist Theory Archive collection, MS.2017.016, Box [#], Folder [#], Pembroke Center Archives, John Hay Library, Brown University.
The collection is arranged in one series, alphabetically by the last name of the scholar whose papers contribute to the Feminist Theory Archive.
Gift of the Pembroke Center beginning in 2003.
See also the