mnsss505 Activist Life Oral History Project, 2008 Finding Aid Sophia Smith Collection
Smith College Northampton, MA
2010

Sophia Smith Collection. All rights reserved.

 Finding aid exported into EAD from InMagic DB/Textworks 12.0. Encoded by Margaret Jessup. July 22, 2011 Finding aid written in English. Collection Overview Activist Life Oral History Project2008 MS 641 3 boxes (1.25 linear ft.) English Sophia Smith Collection
Smith College Northampton, MA
A collection of life histories of women who have dedicated their lives to social and political activism. Fifteen interviews, conducted by Smith College students, document both the diversity and the persistence of women's activism, as organizers and as cultural workers, in a variety of social movements such as women's health, economic justice, LGBT liberation, peace, education, and environmental sustainability. Project History

Interviews were conducted by Smith College students in Kelly Anderson's Smith College course "Women's Activism and Oral History" in the Fall of 2008. Students were trained in both the history of women's activism and oral history techniques and protocols.

 Scope and Contents of the Collection

An Activist Life Oral History Project is a collection of life histories of women who have dedicated their lives to social and political activism. The project documents both the diversity and the persistence of women's activism, as organizers and as cultural workers, in a variety of social movements such as women's health, economic justice, LGBT liberation, peace, education, and environmental sustainability. Narrators include educators and academics, musicians, writers, and artists, as well as community and religious leaders. They come from a variety of class, ethnic, racial, social, and geographic backgrounds. Interviews cover childhood and growing up experiences; education and employment; activism and politics; family, identity, relationships and community.

Narrators include:

Lois Ahrens Joan Ballas Joyce Berkman Annie Cheatham Maria Cuerda Frances Crowe Delight Dodyk Merle Feld Barbara Hammer Sue Hyde Lesléa Newman Jane Pincus Letty Cottin Pogrebin Tiik Pollet Christine Shelton

Full transcripts can be found on the project Web site.

The papers are open to research according to the regulations of the Sophia Smith Collection.

Partially restricted access - contact the Sophia Smith Collection for more information.

The Sophia Smith Collection owns copyright except for interviews with following women who have retained copyright: Merle Feld, Barbara Hammer, and Lesléa Newman. Permission must be obtained to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use." Requests for permission to publish quotations should be addressed to the Sophia Smith Collection and should include identification of the specific passages to be quoted, anticipated use of the passages, and identification of the user. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights.

 Preferred Citation

Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:

Activist Life Oral History Project, Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College, Northampton, Mass.

 Additional Formats

Transcripts available on SSC Website: http://www.smith.edu/libraries/libs/ssc/activist/activists-intro.html

The Activist Life Oral History Project were donated to the Sophia Smith Collection by Kelly Anderson in April 2009.

Processed by Burd Schlessinger, June 2009

Women -- United States -- History -- 20th century Authors, American -- 20th century -- Biography -- Sources Historians -- United States -- Biography -- Sources Jewish authors -- United States -- Biography -- Sources Peace and the people Women athletes -- History -- Sources Women historians -- Biography -- Sources Ahrens, Lois Ballas, Joan Berkman, Joyce Cheatham, Annie Cuerda, Maria Crowe, Frances Dodyk, Delight Feld, Merle Hammer, Barbara Hyde, Sue Newman, Lesléa Pincus, Jane Pogrebin, Letty Cottin Pollet, Tiik Shelton, Christine

In addition to their oral histories, the Sophia Smith Collection contains the Frances Crowe Papers, the Lesléa Newman Papers, the Letty Cottin Pogrebin Papers, and the Christine Shelton Papers.