Hannah Arendt New School faculty files
Online Access
Available digital items: https://digital.archives.newschool.edu/index.php/Detail/collections/NS021201.
Abstract
Hannah Arendt was University Professor in Philosophy from 1967-1975 in The New School's Graduate Faculty (later, New School for Social Research). These records stem from her work as professor and advisor to students, and her involvement with the Tenure Committee. Student files consist of transcripts, writing samples, resumes, referral requests, grant applications and correspondence, among other documents related to graduate student admissions.
Files in locations "nr_2" and "Box 2" are restricted. Please email archivist@newschool.edu for details.
Dates
- 1963 - 1975
Creator
- Arendt, Hannah, 1906-1975 (Person)
Extent
1.7 Cubic Feet (2 boxes, 5 folders)
Scope and Contents
These records consist of office files reflecting Arendt's role as professor and advisor to New School graduate students between 1967 and 1975, as well as her interactions with fellow professors. It is largely administrative in nature and contains no documentation on her writings, nor does it contain correspondence of a personal nature except for occasional letters between Arendt and students.
The Departmental matters series contains correspondence mainly with Arendt's Graduate Faculty colleagues, records related to the Philosophy Department and The New School published journal, Social Research. The Student files series contains letters of recommendation and requests; transcripts; resumes; student and alumni work; fellowship and grant applications; and requests to audit courses and seminars. A small number of files include course material, such as the final exam for Arendt's 1975 course Life of the Mind (found in the file entitled, Kohn, Jerry). Some outgoing correspondence is written by Arendt's student assistants Robert Bland and Jerome Kohn on Arendt's behalf. The Tenure review series contains mainly restricted files related to the tenure review pocess and the work of the Tenure Committee.
The collection includes two folders of substantial correspondence between Arendt and Elizabeth Young-Bruehl between 1969 and 1975. Young-Bruehl completed her doctoral dissertation under Arendt and went on to become a psychotherapist. She later wrote a biography on Arendt, published in 1982.
Language of Materials
English and German
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research use. Files containing student records are restricted for 50 years from the latest date of creation in the file or upon the individual's death. Files with faculty or other personnel salary, performance reviews, hiring information are restricted for 50 years from creation date of item (or last creation date in file). Please contact archivist@newschool.edu for appointment.
Conditions Governing Use
To publish images of material from this collection, permission must be obtained in writing from The New School Archives and Special Collections. Please contact: archivist@newschool.edu
Biographical note
Hannah Arendt was University Professor in Philosophy from 1967-1975 in The New School's Graduate Faculty (later, the New School for Social Research). When she took up her post at The New School, Arendt was a well-known philosopher and intellectual. Born in Hannover, Germany on October 14, 1906, she received her PhD in 1928 from Heidelberg University. She immigrated to Paris in 1933 and to the United States in 1941. In the U.S., she served as lecturer and visiting professor at various institutions, including Princeton University; University of California, Berkeley; and Columbia University. Her notable works include, Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil (1963) and On Violence (1970). She died in New York City on December 4, 1975.
Organization and Arrangement
Organized into 3 series: 1. Departmental matters; 2. Student files; 3. Tenure Review.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Transferred from Raymond Fogelman Library, the former social sciences library associated with the university's New School for Social Research, to The New School Archives and Special Collections upon the Archives' establishment, 2012. Addition of 0.8 linear feet to the Departmental matters and Tenure review series identified and integrated into collection, 2017.
Processing Information
A finding aid for this collection was originally published in 2016 with the title, "Hannah Arendt correspondence with students."
- Administrative records (Type of Material) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- New School for Social Research (New York, N.Y. : 1919-1997). Graduate Faculty
- Professors (Occupation) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Universities and colleges -- United States -- Administration (Subject) (Places) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Universities and colleges -- United States -- Admission (Subject) (Places) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Title
- Guide to the Hannah Arendt New School faculty files
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Jennifer Ulrich
- Date
- May 6, 2016
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English
Revision Statements
- January 30, 2018: New School Archives staff Collection retitled collection and revised collection inventory to reflect integration of new files.
- October 14, 2022: Updated restriction dates based upon revised policy.
- March 1, 2023: Jenny Swadosh updated Related Materials note to include Library of Congress portal.
- April 4, 2024: Victoria Fernandez integrated previously restricted student files to Box 1. Folder numbers were updated. y