Caren Kaplan papers (MS.2022.007)

Caren Kaplan is Professor of American Studies and affiliated faculty in Cultural Studies and Science and Technology Studies at University of California, Davis. She has been a leading scholar of Transnational feminism, Postcolonial theory, and Militarization Studies. This collection includes correspondence related to Kaplan's academics, professional career, writings, and talks; papers from her undergraduate and graduate education; conference materials; syllabi and lecture notes; and draft writings. Materials date from 1968 – 2022 and are arranged into 6 series.

*Please note that Kaplan included an "Annotated index to contents" located in box 1 folder 1. This document is arranged chronologically and corresponds to Kaplan's original folder titles. The processor kept all original folders with their original contents so that researchers can easily locate annotations. Annotations include personal reflections, event details, and contextual information related to Kaplan's personal life and professional career. Particularly significant annotations have been noted in the inventory of this finding aid.

Series 1, PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL, 1980 – 2022, includes the "Annotated index to contents," CVs, and letters of recommendation for Kaplan. Also included is a file related to memorializing Professor Lester Mazor, Kaplan's mentor, who later became the subject of controversy at Hampshire College. Kaplan includes her reflections on this issue on page 32 of the "Annotated index to contents." This series is arranged alphabetically by record type.

Series 2, EDUCATION FILES, 1968 – 1989, includes correspondence, funding applications, syllabi, and papers written by Kaplan for her undergraduate education at Hampshire College and her graduate education at University of California, Santa Cruz. Of particular interest is a paper handwritten by Kaplan in secondary school regarding "The Chicago Police and the Democratic Convention." Note that the "Annotated index to contents" located in box 1 folder 1 includes detailed descriptions of Kaplan's experiences at Hampshire College and UC Santa Cruz. This series is arranged alphabetically by institution then by record type.

Series 3, ADMINISTRATIVE AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT, 1985 – 2019, includes job applications and correspondence regarding Kaplan's hiring, retention, and merit promotions. Of note are graduation remarks written by Kaplan for the University of California Berkeley Women's Studies Department in 1993, 1995, 1999, and 2001. This series is arranged alphabetically by institution then by record type.

Series 4, CONFERENCES, 1979 – 2001, includes correspondence, handwritten notes, programs, and talk drafts for various conferences. Please note that additional talk drafts are located in Series 6, Writings and Related. Conferences include "Atmospheric Politics: Asymmetrical Warfare from Above," "Between Women and Nation: Feminism and Global Issues," "Digital Legacies of the War on Terror," and "Warfare and Healthcare: Action at a Distance and Bodies in Contact." This series is arranged alphabetically by conference title and then by record type.

Series 5, TEACHING MATERIALS, 1987 – 2019, contains syllabi, assignment prompts, and handwritten and typed lecture notes for courses taught by Kaplan. Course titles include "The Arts of War: Military Culture, Media, and Technology," "Introduction to Women's Studies," "Questions of Travel: Exploration, Expatriation, Immigration, and the Poetics of Displacement," and "Travel, Gender, and Empire." This series is arranged alphabetically by course title then by record type.

Series 6, WRITINGS AND RELATED, 1984 – 2020, includes correspondence, handwritten notes, typed drafts, and proofs of articles, books, chapters, and talks by Kaplan. Titles include An Introduction to Women's Studies: Gender in a Transnational World, Life in the Age of Drone Warfare, "Atmospheric Policing in the Age of Drone Warfare: Attunements to Colonial World-Making," "Mobile Subjects: Aerial Perception, Air Power, and the Social Construction of Targets," and "Whiteness and Commodity Feminism in a Transnational Frame." Note that box 7 folder 22 also includes a handwritten journal entry written by Kaplan as she grappled with leaving her newborn child with her partner in order to attend the talk also included in the folder. This series is arranged alphabetically by format then by title then by record type.