Guide to the Teresa Brennan papers, 1965-2002

(bulk 1994-2001)

John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts
Box A
Brown University
Providence, RI 02912
Telephone: Manuscripts: 401-863-3723; University Archives: 401-863-2148
Email: Manuscripts: hay@brown.edu; University Archives: archives@brown.edu

Published in 2024

Collection Overview

Title:	Teresa Brennan papers
Date range:	1965-2002 (bulk 1994-2001)
Creator:	Brennan, Teresa, 1952-
Extent:	22.25 Linear Feet
Abstract:	The Teresa Brennan papers contain a broad range of materials dating between 1965 and 2002. Letters, research notes, institution building materials, syllabi, lecture notes, manuscript drafts, and other such material comprise the largest component of this collection. The papers are arranged into eight series, some with multiple sub-series.
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts
Collection number:	Ms.2009.014

Scope & content

The Teresa Brennan papers contain a broad range of materials dating between 1965 and 2002. Letters, research notes, institution building materials, syllabi, lecture notes, manuscript drafts, and other such material comprise the largest component of this collection. The papers are arranged into eight series, some with multiple sub-series.

Series 1, Professional Materials, is arranged into three subseries.

Series 1, sub-series 1, Teaching, contains syllabi, lecture notes, and other teaching materials from Brennan's various teaching positions at Brandeis, Harvard, and the New School for Social Research. Most of this material is dated between 1994 and 1998.

Series 1, sub-series 2, Florida Atlantic University, contains a variety of materials dating between 1994-2002. Brennan was one of the founding members of the Public Intellectuals program at FAU and as such had a great deal of material about the design and creation of the program, as well as the continual changes that took place as the program grew. These items include meeting agendas, drafts of program publications, memos between faculty and administration, budgets, and travel documents. Also included in this section are materials related to the controversy around the Schmidt Foundation and UNESCO funded professorship at FAU, in which Brennan played a great part.

Series 1, sub-series 3, are the appointment books and dossiers of Brennan.

Series 2, Correspondence, contains handwritten and typed letters, as well as printed email. It is divided into three sub-series.

Series 2, sub-series 1, Personal, contains a large number of Brennan's personal correspondence with friends, family, former colleagues and students, and other people with whom she initiated a relationship. The letters date from 1972 and 2002.

Series 2, sub-series 2, Academic Correspondence, is comprised of letters related to Brennan's professional life in academia. These letters are about department development, course content, speaking engagements, publications, conference organization and other like material. This correspondence is dated between 1975 and 2001. People who corresponded with Brennan include, but are not limited to, Kelly Oliver, Drucilla Cornell, Alice Jardine, Judith Butler, and Anthony Giddens.

Series 3, sub-series 3, contains the correspondence, chapter drafts, and galleys of the Oxford University Press series entitled, Readings on Feminism, of which Brennan was an editor. The letters are primarily between Brennan, the Oxford UP, and the editors of the individual editions. These correspondents include Ann Kaplan, Drucilla Cornell, Kelly Oliver, Evelyn Fox Keller, Anne Phillips, Londa Schiebinger, Genevieve Lloyd, and Joan Wallach Scott. Correspondence in this subseries clearly demonstrates the development of a themed series of publications and the publication process, as well as the genealogy of feminist thought.

Series 3, Writings and Research, contain materials written or collected by Brennan for research purposes between 1974-2000. Included in this series are drafts of and notes about many of Brennan's books, including The Interpretation of the Flesh, History After Lacan, Exhausting Modernity, The Transmission of Affect, and Globalization and its Terrors.. The other materials are drafts of articles, book introductions, and chapters of edited publications. Along with these writings are Brennan's research materials for Brennan's 2002 book, Globalization and its Terrors.

Series 4, Writings by Others, range from 1968 to 2000.

Series 5, Conferences and Organizations, contains items related to Brennan's involvement in the American Sociological Association, International Women's Resource Agency, Inc., the World Health Organization, and other groups. Also in this series are materials from conferences at which Brennan presented at or attended.

Series 6, Books and Media, contains copies of Brennan's books, as well as books that contain a great deal of marginalia by Brennan. Also in this series are disks, CDs and cassette tapes containing materials by Brennan and materials to which Brennan listened.

Series 7, Personal, is made up of four subseries.

Series 7, sub-series 1, Early Academics and Writings, has materials written by Brennan during her undergraduate studies in Australia, as well as her early Master's work. Other materials include theatre reviews and editorials written by Brennan for various Australian newspapers.

Series 7, sub-series 2, Flora Brennan, contains notebooks, books, and letters of Flora Brennan, the aunt of Teresa Brennan.

Series 7, sub-series 3, Photographs, is comprised of snapshots of Brennan with friends, family, and colleagues. The photographs appear to range in date from 1985 to 2002.

Series 7, sub-series 4, Newsclippings, are many clippings of various newspapers relating to the events in New York City, the Pentagon, and Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001. Also in the subseries are some clippings around the "Juanita" case from 1970s Sydney, Australia.

Series Eight, Restricted, dontains recommendation letters and personal letters. This series is closed until January 1, 2074, after which date the materials will open without restriction.

Access Points

Subject Organizations

• Feminist Theory Archive.
• Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women.

Subject Topics

• Sex ns2:role and globalization
• Psychoanalysis
• Feminist theory

Occupations

• College teachers

Document Types

• Floppy disks
• Syllabi
• Research notes
• Administrative records
• Articles

Arrangement

The Teresa Brennan papers are arranged in the following series:

• Series 1. Professional Materials
  • Subseries 1: Teaching
  • Subseries 2: Florida Atlantic University
  • Subseries 3: Diaries and dossiers
• Series 2. Correspondence
  • Subseries 1: Personal
  • Subseries 2: Academic
  • Subseries 3: Oxford University Press Readings on Feminism
• Series 3. Writings and Research
• Series 4. Others Writings
  • Subseries 1: Articles
  • Subseries 2: Journals
• Series 5. Conferences and Organizations
• Series 6. Books and Media
• Series 7. Personal
  • Subseries 1: Early Academics and Writings
  • Subseries 2: Flora Brennan
  • Subseries 3: Photographs
  • Subseries 4: Newsclippings
• Series 8. Restricted

Biographical note

"Throughout her work, from her first book The Interpretation of the Flesh to her most recent, The Transmission of Affect, Teresa develops an original and revolutionary notion of energetics that she applies to some of the most pressing social issues of our time: relations between men and women, our relation to the environment and pollution, contemporary diseases, and globalization. Like her life, her work is not traditional or ordinary." Shannon Lundeen in Living Attention: On Teresa Brennan

Teresa Mary Isabel Brennan was born on January 4, 1952 in Melbourne, Australia. She went on to attend the University of Sydney for her Baccalaureate degree, writing her thesis in the field of political theory. Before continuing on for an advanced degree, Brennan served as a Congressional Advisor to Representative Barbara Mikulski, the then Chair of the Health sub-committee in the U.S. Congress. In 1986, Brennan went on to receive her Master's of Arts in Political Science from the University of Melbourne. From 1986 to 1990, Brennan worked on and received her Doctorate of Philosophy from the University of Cambridge King's College in Social and Political Sciences under the supervision of L.A. Jardine.

Following the receipt of her PhD, Brennan went on to teach at a number of institutions including the University of Amsterdam, Cambridge University, the New School for Social Research, Brandeis University, Harvard University, and Florida Atlantic University. At Florida Atlantic University, Brennan helped to create and design the Public Intellectuals Program for the PhD in Comparative Studies as the Schmidt Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Sociology. The Public Intellectuals Program is unique in the United States and received attention from the New York Times and other large publications upon its founding.

Brennan authored and edited many books and articles throughout her career. Her authored books are: The Interpretation of the Flesh, History After Lacan, Exhausting Modernity, The Transmission of Affect, and Globalization and its Terrors. Brennan also edited numerous books including the Readings in Feminism series from the Oxford University Press, Between Feminism and Psychoanalysis, and Vision in Context. A number of Brennan's authored and edited books were translated into multiple languages. Brennan's articles, introductions and chapters were published in numerous books, journals, and conference proceedings.

Along with her pursuits in academia, Brennan was also involved as a consultant with groups such as the World Health Organization, the United Nations, and the International Women's Resource Agency, Inc..

Teresa Brennan died in February of 2003 after she was struck in a hit and run accident in December 2002. Following her death, many of Brennan's close friends and colleagues contributed essays to be included in Living Attention: On Teresa Brennan. The book was published in 2007.

Access & Use

Access to the collection:	There are no restrictions on access for analog materials, except that Series 8, Restricted, is closed until January 1, 2074, after which date the materials will open without restriction. 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 any audiovisual media or born-digital records that may exist in this collection. Audiovisual media and born-digital records 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. Access to original physical audiovisual or born-digital media is restricted.
Use of the materials:	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.
Preferred citation:	Teresa Brennan papers, Ms. 2009.014, Box [#], Folder [#], Pembroke Center Archives, John Hay Library, Brown University.
Contact information:	John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts Box A Brown University Providence, RI 02912 Telephone: Manuscripts: 401-863-3723; University Archives: 401-863-2148 Email: Manuscripts: hay@brown.edu; University Archives: archives@brown.edu

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	The Teresa Brennan papers were donated to the Feminist Theory Archive by Brennan's brother, Steve Brennan, and her literary executor, Woden Teachout, in April 2009.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Author:	Finding aid created by Amy Greer on behalf of the Pembroke Center for the Teaching and Research on Women and the Brown University Library.
Encoding:	This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2024-04-30.
Descriptive rules:	Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Additional Information

Inventory

---