Guide to the Lauren Berlant papers, 1922-2019

(bulk 1970-2019)

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:	Lauren Berlant papers
Date range:	1922-2019, (1970-2019)
Creator:	Berlant, Lauren Gail
Extent:	5 Linear Feet (4 record center cartons and 2 file boxes)
Abstract:	This collection contains personal and professional papers of Lauren Berlant, the George M. Pullman Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago. Berlant's scholarship focuses on queer theory, power, and boundary drawing between public and private spheres. Materials in this collection include correspondence, conference files, lecture and poetry drafts, handwritten research notes, and print materials, dating from 1922 – 2019 (bulk 1970 – 2019).
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts
Collection number:	Ms.2015.009

Scope & content

This collection contains personal and professional papers of Lauren Berlant, the George M. Pullman Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago. Berlant's scholarship focuses on queer theory, power, and boundary drawing between public and private spheres. Materials in this collection include correspondence, conference files, lecture and poetry drafts, handwritten research notes, and print materials, dating from 1922 – 2019 (bulk 1970 – 2019). This collection is arranged into 10 series.

Series 1, Personal and Biographical, 1983 – 2019, contains articles and interviews about and with Berlant, correspondence, and photographs. This series is arranged alphabetically by record type.

Series 2, ADMINISTRATIVE AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT, 1985 – 2019, includes files relating to Berlant's Leverhulme Visiting Professorships and programs for various events. Of particular note are materials related to Faculty for Divestment from South Africa. This series is arranged alphabetically by record type.

Series 3, CONFERENCES, 1996 – 2019, includes programs, agendas, and handwritten notes from conferences Berlant attended. Conferences include "Forms of Attachment: Affect at the Limits of the Political," "Pleasureless: A Queer Symposium," and "You Hurt My Feelings: Anxiety, Urgency, Outrage, Hope... A Conference on Political Feeling." This series is arranged alphabetically by conference title.

Series 4, TEACHING, 1961 – 2015, includes syllabi and readings for courses taught by Berlant. Courses include "American Women and Waiting," "Feminism and the Public Sphere," and "Queer Arts After Stonewall." This series is arranged alphabetically by course title.

Series 5, WRITINGS, circa 1980 – 2019, includes talk drafts and poetry drafts by Berlant. This series is arranged alphabetically by writing format then by title when available.

Series 6, RESEARCH, 1942 – 1997, contains annotated articles Berlant used for research. Topics include "Improving higher education" and the National Organization of Women. This series is arranged alphabetically by topic.

Series 7, PRINT MATERIALS, 1922 – 2019, includes books, journals, and a zine featuring works by Berlant and others. Titles include The Anti-Capitalism Reader, Reading Sedgwick, and differences: Difference: Reading Barbara Johnson volume 17 number 3. This series is arranged alphabetically by format then by title.

Series 8, EPHEMERA, n.d., contains 2 t-shirts Berlant obtained at conferences. This series is arranged alphabetically by writing on the shirt.

Series 9, OVERSIZE MATERIALS, circa 1980 – 2019, includes awards and conference posters. This series is arranged alphabetically by format then by title.

Series 10, ELECTRONIC RECORDS, 1991 – 2012, contains cassette tapes, 3.5" computer diskettes, and CDs. This series is arranged alphabetically by record type then by title listed on the carrier.

Access Points

Subject Organizations

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

Subject Topics

• Queer theory.
• Gender Issues
• Gender identity
• Feminist theory
• Literature and society
• Women in literature.

Arrangement

This collection is arragned into 10 series.

Biographical/Historical Note

Lauren Berlant (1957-2021) was born on October 31, 1957, in Philadelphia and grew up in suburban Penn Valley. They graduated from Oberlin College in 1979 with an AB in English and went on to earn a master's degree in 1983 and then a Ph.D. in 1985, both in English and from Cornell University.

Berlant joined the University of Chicago faculty in 1984 and served as the George M. Pullman Distinguished Service Professor of English, Gender Studies and the Humanities. Their scholarship focused on what sentimentality means in American culture for gender, sexuality and politics. Specifically, they sought to define the desires and emotions that compel people to create forms of life that support a sense of belonging, and the complex ways in which gender, race, citizenship, class and sexuality affect and mold those attachments.

Berlant's career-defining entry to national sentimentality and affect theory began through the study of historical novels during their doctoral studies at Cornell University. At that time, their scholarship focused on how a historical novel produces a story that moves between history and subjectivity, often entwining a law plot and a love plot. Berlant recognized how structural, functional, and political norms synergize and shape subjectivity.

Notable books authored by Berlant include The Female Complaint: The Unfinished Business of Sentimentality in American Culture (2004); The Anatomy of National Fantasy: Hawthorne, Utopia, and Everyday Life (1991); and The Queen of America Goes to Washington City: Essays on Sex and Citizenship (1997).

Berlant passed away on June 28, 2021, from a rare form of cancer at the age of 63.

The information cited in this section was retrieved from The University of Chicago in 2021. https://news.uchicago.edu/story/lauren-berlant-preeminent-literary-scholar-and-cultural-theorist-1957-2021

Access & Use

Access to the collection:	There are no restrictions on access for non-digital materials, except that 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 have not 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 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:	Lauren Berlant papers, Ms.2015.009, Brown University Library.
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:	Gift of Lauren Berlant beginning in 2014.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Author:	Amanda Knox, 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 2024-07-30.
Descriptive rules:	Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Sponsor:	Curatorial work and processing provided by the Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women on behalf of the Feminist Theory Archive, Brown University Library.

Additional Information

Inventory

---