Brown University established the Pembroke Center in 1981 as a research center on gender, with historian Joan Wallach Scott as its founding director. Funded in its early years by the Ford Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Rockefeller Foundation, the Center now supports its programs largely through endowment, made possible by generous alumnae and other donors.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, numerous centers for research on women and gender were established at colleges and universities across the United States. What distinguished the Pembroke Center was its focus on the theoretical dimensions of the category of gender. The story of the Center's uniqueness can be seen in the relationship between its name and its research mission--a relationship that has carried a productive tension from the beginning. In 1981, a decade after the merger of Pembroke College with the [men's] College, the Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women was named in honor of Pembroke College and the history of women's efforts to gain access to higher education. The first two women were admitted to Brown in 1891. In 1928, the women's college was named Pembroke after Pembroke College at Cambridge University and retained that name until the 1971 merger. The name of the Center was designed to keep alive the history of women at Brown and Pembroke.
On the one hand, the name of the Center evokes the concrete historical achievements of women. At the same time, the Center's research and teaching has, from the outset, questioned the self-evident meanings of the categories of "women" and "woman." While most centers and programs in the late 1970s and the 1980s were taking women as a starting point, the Pembroke Center's scholars and students took neither women nor gender for granted, but looked, rather, at the many and complex articulations of difference that produce such categories and give them their historically specific meanings.
At the heart of the Center's research agenda is a questioning of what counts as foundational knowledge in a given discipline. This questioning of the production of knowledge is related, in turn, to the challenges that studies of "difference" present to the academy--gender studies; studies of race, ethnicity, multiculturalism; cross-cultural and postcolonial studies.
Scholars affiliated with the Center look to the complex ways "differences" are produced culturally, socially, epistemologically: sexual and gender differences, the differences that are fundamental to the categories of race and ethnicity, nationality, religion, and so forth. It is there, at the intersection of the production of knowledge and articulations of "difference," that the Pembroke Center locates its research and teaching.
The Center houses a unique array of programs and institutions including the Pembroke Seminar, a year-long advanced research seminar, conferences and lectures, postdoctoral fellowships, the Gender and Sexuality Studies program, the
includes correspondence from Sophie Blistein and Lydia Kanzler
Please note that this group and series was known as the Pembroke Center Associates Council until 2020 when the name was changed to the Pembroke Center Advisory Council
See also: Leonard's 1982 oral history interview: https://sites.brown.edu/pembrokeoralhistory/2023/05/22/margery-chittenden-leonard-class-of-1929/
includes "ERA Questions and Answers" Senate booklet edited by Leonard
This collection consists of the records of the Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women at Brown University, an interdisciplinary research center that fosters critical scholarship on questions of gender and difference, broadly defined, in national and transnational contexts. It documents the creation and operations of the Center and its many initiatives such as the Pembroke Center Advisory Council, the Gender and Sexuality Studies program, fellowship opportunities for scholars, the Pembroke Seminar, and the Archives. The collection includes administrative files, correspondence, conference materials, subject files, print materials, and photographs, dating from 1961 to 2024. It is arranged into 16 series.
Series 1, ADMINISTRATIVE FILES, 1970 – 2020, documents the creation and operations of the Pembroke Center. Materials include annual reports, budgets, correspondence, director files, grant materials, histories of the Pembroke Center, Pembroke College, and Pembroke Hall, external review files, and establishing documents. This series is arranged alphabetically by record type then by topic.
Series 2, PEMBROKE CENTER ADVISORY COUNCIL, 1981 – 2024, highlights the work of this governing body of the Pembroke Center, made up of Brown University alumnae/i, parents, and friends who support the Pembroke Center and its scholars. The council is composed of committees that recommend initiatives for action. Please note that this group and series was known as the Pembroke Center Associates Council until 2020 when the name was changed to the Pembroke Center Advisory Council. Materials include booklets, meeting materials, newsletters, and establishing documents. This series is arranged alphabetically by record type then by topic.
Series 3, GENDER AND SEXUALITY STUDIES PROGRAM, 1972 – 2022, documents the concentration which encourages students to examine the complex ways that "differences" are produced culturally, politically, and epistemologically, and thesis/dissertation prizes for enrolled undergraduate and graduate students. This series is arranged into two subseries: Concentration Materials and Prizes.
Series 3, subseries 1, CONCENTRATION MATERIALS, 1972 - 2022, documents the women's studies and gender studies concentrations, and earlier manifestations of the gender and sexuality studies program. Items include booklets, brochures, commencement materials, correspondence, course announcements, and establishing documents. This subseries is arranged alphabetically by record type then by topic.
Series 3, subseries 2, PRIZES, 1972 - 2002, includes proposals and correspondence regarding various grants and prizes awarded for outstanding theses and dissertations. This subseries is arranged alphabetically by prize title.
Series 4, SCHOLARS, 1980 – 2005, contains correspondence, proposals, and applications, for fellowships, professorships, and scholarships sponsored the Pembroke Center. This series is arranged alphabetically by position title and then by record type. Please note that rejected proposals and applications have been moved to Series 14, Restricted Materials.
Series 5,
Series 6, THE PEMBROKE SEMINAR, 1982 – 2017, highlights the organization, participation, and outcome of the Pembroke Center's year-long advanced research seminar. Established in 1981, the Pembroke Seminar is an interdisciplinary program taught by Brown faculty who propose topics and direct the seminar for an academic year. The seminar draws Brown faculty, visiting scholars, postdocs, and selected students, along with a group of invited distinguished lecturers. Materials in include correspondence, applications for participation, and syllabi. This series is arranged alphabetically by seminar title then by record type.
Series 7, ARCHIVES, 1980 – 2024, is arranged into three subseries: Administrative files, Feminist Theory Archive, and Christine Dunlap Farnham Archive.
Series 7, Subseries 1, ADMINISTRATIVE FILES, 1987 - 2024, are related specifically to the work of the archives. Items include correspondence, research requests, and special collections statistics. This subseries is arranged alphabetically by record type.
Series 7, Subseries 2, FEMINIST THEORY ARCHIVE, 2003 - 2017, highlights the operations of the archive that documents the lives and work of influential feminist theorists and scholars of difference. Materials include correspondence, donor materials, and grant materials. This subseries is arranged alphabetically by record type then by topic.
Series 7, subseries 3, CHRISTINE DUNLAP FARNHAM ARCHIVE, 1980 - 2017, documents the operations of the archive which makes visible and provides researchers access to the history of women at Pembroke College in Brown University and its predecessor the Women's College, the undergraduate and post-graduate lives of Brown alumnae, and the experiences, work, and organizations of Rhode Island women. Materials include brochures, correspondence, and establishing documents. Note that the title of this archive went defunct in 2024 in favor of more clearly dilenateing the collecting directions of Feminist Activism in Rhode Island and Women and Gender at Brown. Materials added to this series after 2024 will be divided accordingly. This subseries is arranged alphabetically by record type then by topic.
Series 8, EVENTS, 1981 – 2023, contains materials for conferences, lectures, and roundtables, organized, hosted, and/or funded by the Pembroke Center. Materials include correspondence, expense reports, flyers, and schedules. This series is arranged alphabetically by event type then by title of the event.
Series 9, EXHIBITS, 2019 - 2022, is divided into two subseries: Louise Lamphere vs Brown University, and Other Exhibits.
Series 9, subseries 1, LOUISE LAMPHERE VS BROWN UNIVERSITY, 2012 - 2016, contains photocopies, correspondence, and research materials related to the 2012 installation of the exhibit which chronicled Louise Lamphere's sex discrimination lawsuit against Brown University. Please note that this subseries was listed under the Archives series until 2025 when new collection material was added and the finding aid was reorganized. This subseries is arranged alphabetically by record type then by topic.
Series 9, subseries 2, OTHER EXHIBITS, contains items related to exhibits curated or co-curated by the Pembroke Center. Exhibits include Hortense J. Spillers: A Life Recorded, and Tomboy, which was hosted at the Providence Public Library. Materials include exhibit outlines, handwritten notes, and receipts. This subseries is arranged alphabetically by exhibit title.
Series 10, SUBJECT FILES, 1961 – 2012, includes clippings and correspondence related to various topics that have been part of the Pembroke Center's focus since its establishment. Topics includes activism, women's advocacy, rape, sexual assault, and women's history, both on and off campus. This series is arranged alphabetically by subject.
Series 11, PRINTED MATERIALS, 1982 – 2024, includes booklets, brochures, calendars, newsletters, and zines, published by the Pembroke Center. The collections of newsletters is not complete. Available years have been specifically noted. This series is arranged alphabetically by record type.
Series 12, PHOTOGRAPHS, 1982 – 2001, highlights events and people central to the Pembroke Center. Subjects include forums, parties, meetings, and roundtables, as well as Joan Wallach Scott, Nancy L. Buc, and Ruth J. Simmons. Materials are arranged alphabetically by subject.
Series 13, OVERSIZED POSTERS, 1983 – 2018, contains oversized posters for various lectures, conferences, and student activities. This series is arranged alphabetically by event title.
Series 14, VIDEOTAPES, 1987 – 2006, contains VHS video recordings of Pembroke Center events and promotional videos. The series is arranged alphabetically by title on carrier
Series 15, ELECTRONIC RECORDS, 2006 – 2014, contains CDs. Topics include conferences, seminars, and Louise Lamphere exhibit materials. This series is arranged alphabetically by title on carrier.
Series 16, RESTRICTED MATERIALS, 1982 – 2023, includes rejected proposals and applications for fellowships and participation in various Pembroke Seminars. This series is arranged alphabetically by record type then by topic and is closed until January 1, 2050, after which date this subseries will open without restrictions.
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.
Pembroke Center Records, OF.1ZP.2017.005, Box [#], Folder [#], Pembroke Center Archives, John Hay Library, Brown University.
This collection is arranged into 16 series.
There are no restrictions on access for analog materials except on series 16, restricted materials. Series 16 is closed until January 1, 2050, after which date this subseries will be 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. 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 the Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women.
The Brown University Library holds the Pembroke Center Oral History Collection (OH.1S.2013.002) that captures the experiences of cis and trans women and non-binary members of Brown University and Pembroke College from 1911 to the present, and the Feminist Theory Archive Collection that contains the papers of feminist theorists and scholars of difference in the United States and internationally, spanning from the 1970s to the present. http://riamco.org/render.php?eadid=US-RPB-oh.1s.2013.002&view=title http://riamco.org/render.php?eadid=US-RPB-ms2017.016&view=overview