As an undergraduate in Philosophy at Mt. Allison University, Alison Wylie discovered that philosophical issues were being hotly debated in archaeology. She worked on historic sites for Parks Canada in the 1970s and early 1980s at a time when the New Archaeologists – vocal advocates of scientific practice – were explicitly drawing inspiration from positivist models of explanation and confirmation. She also worked in the Program for the History and Philosophy of the Social and Behavioral Sciences (HPSBS) offered by the Philosophy Department at the State University of Binghamton where she studied with a group of archaeologists in the Binghamton Anthropology Department.
Wylie held postdoctoral fellowships for the first four years after she completed her Ph.D in philosophy at the State University of New York at Binghamton. In 1985 she joined the Philosophy Department at the University of Western Ontario (now Western University) where she taught for thirteen years. In 1998 she moved to the United States where she has held positions at Washington University in St. Louis, Barnard College/Columbia University in New York, the University of Washington in Seattle from 2005-2016, and currently at the University of British Columbia. Wylie has also spent time at Durham University in the U.K. where she worked with the Centers for Ethics of Cultural Heritage and Humanities Engaging Science and Society. Wylie’s research interests include feminist philosophy, the philosophy of science, and women and gender studies in the academy
Wylie has held a number of research and visiting appointments. Most recently she spent a month at Australian National University where she was a Visiting Fellow in the School of Philosophy (2014), a term at the Durham Institute for Advanced Study during the year when their focal theme was ‘Time’ (2012), six months at Reading University as a Leverhulme Visiting Professor (2010), and a year at as a Senior Research Fellow at the Clayman Institute for Gender Research, Stanford University (2005-2006).
There are no restrictions on access except for series 6, Restricted. All items in series 6 is closed until January 1, 2037, after which date it will open without restrictions. 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.
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.
Alison Wylie papers, Ms.2017.020, Feminist Theory Archive, Brown University Library.
This collection consists of the professional papers of Alison Wylie, professor of philosophy at the University of British Columbia. Materials include correspondence, reports, handwritten notes, clippings, and drafts documenting Wylie’s interest in feminist archaeology, philosophy, gender equity for women professors, and social justice issues affecting women. The collection spans from 1984 – 2017 and is arranged into 7 series.
Series 1, BIOGRAPHICAL AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT, 1984 – 2013, contains four folders of correspondence and clippings related to Wylie’s work at Barnard College, the University of Western Ontario, and Washington University, St. Louis, as well as one folder of materials from the Society for Women in Philosophy that highlights Wylie’s success as a distinguished woman philosopher. This series is arranged alphabetically by institution.
Series 2, ADMINISTRATIVE, 1978 – 2005, includes newsletters, memos, and correspondence related to Wylie’s work at Barnard College and the University of Western Ontario, as well as one folder of meeting materials for the Society for Women in Philosophy. Topics include Barnard’s Center for Research on Women, and the University of Ontario’s women’s studies program. This series is arranged alphabetically by institution.
Series 3, CONFERENCES, 1990 – 2010, includes handwritten notes, flyers, agendas, paper submissions, and correspondence for various conferences attended or organized by Wylie. Conference topics include “Equity Issues for Women in Archaeology,” “Women, Work, and the Academy,” and “The Women, Gender, and Science Question.” This series is arranged alphabetically by hosting institution then by title.
Series 4, EDITORSHIP FILES, 1986 – 2017, includes correspondence and paper submissions and is arranged into two subseries: Hypatia: A Journal of Feminist Philosophy, and Other Edited Works and Special Issues.
Series 4, subseries 1, Hypatia: A Journal of Feminist Philosophy, 1986 – 2017, chronicles Wylie’s role as editor at the journal and is arranged alphabetically by record type.
Series 4, subseries 2, Other Edited Works and Special Issues, 1992 – 2006, contains materials related to “Doing Archaeology as a Feminist,” and “Equity Issues for Women in Archaeology,” both coedited by Wylie. This subseries is arranged alphabetically by organization then by project title.
Series 5, SPECIAL PROJECTS, 1984 – 2004, documents Wylie’s work with the Chilly Climate Collective and the London [Ontario] Battered Women's Advocacy Clinic. The series in arranged into two subseries, beginning with the Chilly Climate Collective.
Series 5, subseries 1, The Chilly Climate Collective, 1988 – 2004, captures Wylie’s participation in a Canadian research collective that was established by women faculty at the University of Western Ontario. The group worked to bring awareness to conditions concerning women in post-secondary education through research, lectures, and a subsequent book and film. This subseries is arranged alphabetically by record type and includes correspondence, interview materials, reports, and book drafts.
Series 5, subseries 2, London [Ontario] Battered Women's Advocacy Clinic, 1984 – 1994, highlights Wylie’s work for the clinic where she researched stereotypes of women who are victims of domestic violence and produced a related pamphlet for the organization. This subseries is arranged alphabetically by topic and includes project proposals, pamphlets, and related research.
Series 6, ELECTRONIC RECORDS, 1991 - 2012, contains thirteen CDs related to Hypatia’s 25th anniversary conference, one 5.5 inch floppy disc related to the Chilly Climate Collective, and twelve tapes related to an unidentified School of American Research conference in 1998. This series is arranged alphabetically by record type then by title written on the carrier.
Series 7, RESTRICTED, 2002 – 2003, contains two folders of rejected manuscript submissions and related correspondence for Hypatia’s special issue 19.1. This series is closed until January 1, 2037, after which date it will open without restrictions.
This collection is arranged into 6 series.
The Brown University Library also holds the
There are no restrictions on access except for series 6, Restricted. All items in series 6 is closed until January 1, 2037, after which date it will open without restrictions. 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.
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.
Alison Wylie papers, MS.2017.020, Feminist Theory Archive, Brown University Library.