Finding Aid for the Graduate Group for Feminist Studies Papers, 1986-1997

Historical Note

The Graduate Group for Feminist Studies (GGFS) was founded in 1986 at University at Buffalo by an interdisciplinary group of scholars whose goal was to eventually establish a university-wide institute.

The GGFS sponsored and co-sponsored many events promoting interdisciplinary feminist scholarship. They sponsored women's film festivals, most notably "Screenplay" in 1988 and "Reverse Shot" in 1992. A wide range of lecturers and performance artists came to town with the help of GGFS funding, including Faith Ringgold, who spoke at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in 1989. Regular Work-in-Progress seminars featured the work of graduate students and faculty at UB. In 1990, GGFS organized a Forum on Violence to address urgent safety concerns on campus.

They also organized three Biennial Symposiums on New Feminist Scholarship starting in 1988. These symposiums highlighted the work of recent Ph.D.'s from around the world and allowed members of the Buffalo and the University communities to hear work on the cutting edge of feminist scholarship. The objective was to facilitate conversation between feminists from different disciplines in order to conserve feminism's political force in an academic sphere ruled by division and specialization.

GGFS was a member of the National Council for Research on Women and was engaged with like-minded activist organizations in the University and Buffalo communities. They produced and distributed a monthly newsletter providing information about resources available to members of the UB community, upcoming events at UB and Buffalo, and nationwide, and research and study opportunities. They also published a Feminist Scholarship Directory each semester that compiled contact information for Buffalo scholars doing feminist and gender-related work.

Co-directors of the group included Professors Ben Agger, Suzanne Buchanan, Ellen DuBois, Hester Eisenstein, Margaret Holland, Carolyn Korsmeyer, Isabel Marcus, Melissa Ragona, Sheila Slaughter, Margarita Vargas, Carol Zemel.

Many of the faculty and graduate students who devoted their time to GGFS were involved in the planning and proposals for the Institute for Research and Education on Women and Gender (IREWG). In 1997, IREWG was approved, at which time GGFS retired its "group" name and expanded its opportunities as an institution.

Scope and Content Note

The Graduate Group for Feminist Studies collection in divided into three series:

Series I. Organizational information contains the administrative documents of the Graduate Group for Feminist Studies. This includes financial information, meeting notes, and group correspondence; as well as proposed projects and publications. This series also contains the preliminary planning of the Institute for Research and Education on Women and Gender.

Series II. Events contains documentation of events that GGFS sponsored or co-sponsored. This includes film festivals, seminars, lectures, symposiums and other events. This series also includes an oversize folder containing large event posters. GGFS saved papers submitted for review to the Biennial Symposium; however only papers that were accepted for presentation were retained with the collection.

Series III. Affiliates contains contextual information about affiliated organizations both in the University community and the Buffalo community. This series includes a significant amount of documentation from UB's "Personal Safety Committee" and the "Erie County Commission on the Status of Women."

Container List

Series I. Organization information

Scope and Content: Series I contains the administrative documents of the Graduate Group for Feminist Studies. This includes financial information, meeting notes, and group correspondence; as well as proposed projects and publications. This series also contains the preliminary planning of the Institute for Research and Education on Women and Gender.

Arrangement: Series I is arranged alphabetically and then chronologically.

Subseries A. Administrative documents

1.1 "Application for recognition," 1986

1.2-1.7 "Applications for continuation," 1986-1997; includes progress reports.

1.8-1.11 Account summaries, 1986-1997

2.1 Correspondence, 1986-1997; includes "Presidential Task Force on Women at UB" survey responses.

2.2-2.3 Financial correspondence, 1986-1997; includes Research Foundation account abstracts, memorandums, and grant rejections.

2.4 "Graduate assistants," 1986-1997; includes correspondence pertaining to position and resumes of hired assistants.

2.5 "Graduate Student Association," 1986-1994; includes GSA correspondences and guidelines.

2.6 Meetings, 1986-1997

2.7 National Council for Research on Women correspondence, 1986-1997; includes biennial and annual meeting schedules.

2.8-2.9 National Council for Research on Women publications, 1986-1997; includes a sampling of directories and newsletters.

Subseries B. Institute for Research and Education on Women and Gender (IREWG)

2.10 Correspondence, 1993-1997

2.11 Meetings, 1991-1997; includes notes of Steering Committee for IREWG

3.1 "Proposals," 1992-1997

3.2 Research, 1991-1997; includes newsletters and information from model university institutes.

Subseries C. Projects

3.3 Academic proposals, 1987, 1995; includes notes for an interdisciplinary graduate seminar on Simone De Beauvoir and a proposal for "Multidisciplinary Pilot Project Program."

3.4 "Bibliographic Project proposal," 1990; includes draft of proposal and background research.

3.5 "Web page," 1995; includes print-outs of design for web page.

Subseries D. Publications

3.6 " Feminist Scholarship Directories," 1986-1997

3.7 " Feminist Scholarship Directory" forms, 1986-1997; includes a sampling of responses from interested parties.

3.8-3.11 "Mailing Lists," n.d.

3.12-4.2 "Newsletters," 1986-1997; some extended gaps of time between newsletters.
[4 folders]

Series II. Events

Scope and Content: Series II contains documentation of events that GGFS sponsored or co-sponsored. This includes film festivals, seminars, lectures, symposiums and other events. This series also includes an oversize folder containing large event posters. GGFS saved papers submitted for review to the Biennial Symposium; however only papers that were accepted for presentation were retained with the collection.

Arrangement: Series II is arranged alphabetically and then chronologically

7+Posters, 1986-1997

Subseries A. Film festivals

4.3 "Reverse Shot", 1992-1993; includes financial correspondence.

4.4 "Reverse Shot," 1992-1993; includes flyer, program, background information on films.

4.5 "Screenplay," 1988

Subseries B. Lectures and seminars

4.6-4.7 Visiting lecturers, 1986-1997; includes flyers, background information, and resumes.

4.8 "Works-in-Progress," 1986-1997; includes flyers, correspondence, and schedules for ongoing seminar series.

Subseries C. Other events

4.9-4.10 "Co-sponsorships," 1986-1997

4.11 Event proposals, 1987-1997, n.d.

4.12 "Faith Ringgold," 1989; includes correspondence, background information, and press coverage.

5.1 "Forum on Violence," 1990-1992; includes promotion, resources for distribution, and newspaper clippings.

5.2 "Hi, This is Judy" festival, 1987; includes promotion, newspaper clippings, flyers, and background information.

5.3 "International Women Playwright Conference," 1988-1989; includes program.

Subseries D. Symposiums

5.4 "First Biennial Symposium on New Feminist Scholarship," 1988; includes presenters' resumes, correspondence, presented papers, and event schedule.

5.5-5.8 "Second Biennial Symposium on New Feminist Scholarship," 1990; includes presenters' resumes, correspondence, presented papers, and event schedule. Also includes two VHS recordings of the symposium and one VHS recording of an informal lecture by Melissa Ragone and Marianne Gassner from May 4, 1990.

5.9-6.3 "Third Biennial Symposium on New Feminist Scholarship," 1992; includes presenters' resumes, correspondence, presented papers, schedule, and bound copy of symposium proceedings.
[4 folders]

Series III. Affiliates

Scope and Content: Series III contains contextual information about affiliated organizations both in the University community and the Buffalo community. This series includes a significant amount of documentation from UB's "Personal Safety Committee" and the "Erie County Commission on the Status of Women."

Arrangement: Series III is arranged alphabetically and then chronologically.

Subseries A. University at Buffalo

6.4 Events and correspondence, 1988-1997

6.5-6.6 "Personal Safety Committee," 1985-1987, n.d.

Subseries B. External

6.7-6.8 "Erie County Commission on the Status of Women," 1987-1996

6.9 Local networking, 1986-1997; includes correspondence and newsletters from like-minded organizations in Buffalo.

Collection Title:	Graduate Group for Feminist Studies Papers, 1986-1997
Collection Number:	14/5/1057
Creator:	Graduate Group for Feminist Studies
Extent:	6 manuscript boxes, 1 oversize box (4.17 linear feet)
Repository:	University Archives, The State University of New York at Buffalo
Abstract:	The records of the Graduate Group for Feminist Studies (GGFS), which was established in 1986 and disbanded in 1997. Records detail their administrative functioning, event planning and participation, as well as University at Buffalo and community networking.