Ann Snitow retirement party collection
Online Access
Available digital items: https://digital.archives.newschool.edu/index.php/Detail/collections/NS020802
Abstract
Feminist activist and scholar Ann Barr Snitow (1943-2019) taught at The New School's Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts from 1986 until her retirement in April 2019. This collection visually documents a retirement party held in her honor. It includes image and video files.
Dates
- 2019
Creator
- Gautam, Neha (Videographer, Person)
- Kay, Amal Flower (Photographer, Person)
- New School University (Organization)
Extent
3.5 Gigabytes (90 files)
Language of Materials
English
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of born-digital photographs and video documenting Ann Snitow’s retirement party, held on April 9, 2019 in the New School’s University Center. Snitow taught at The New School's Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts for over 30 years, beginning in 1986. The color photographs, taken by Amal Flower Kay, depict candid moments of attendees in conversation, hugging and laughing, and delivering remarks and gifts to Ann. The video was created by videographer Neha Gautam, and captures prepared remarks given in honor of Ann by New School colleagues. Party hosts Lisa Rubin (associate professor of psychology) and Margot Bouman (assistant professor of visual culture), co-chairs of the gender and sexualities studies graduate certificate at the New School for Social Research, kick off the remarks (Bouman is also the director of the gender studies minor at Lang College). They are followed by Stephanie Browner (dean of Lang College); Miriam Ticktin (associate professor of anthropology and former director of gender studies); Terri Gordon (associate professor of comparative literature and former director of gender studies); Victoria Hattam (professor of politics); Laura Liu (associate professor of global studies and geography) and Jennifer Firestone (associate professor of literary studies) performing an “Ode to Ann”; and Elzbieta Matynia (professor of sociology and liberal studies, director of Transregional Center of Democratic Studies). Themes that run through these remarks are Ann’s founding of the gender studies program at the New School, her professional and personal generosity, scholarship and activism, passion and humor.
Following these remarks, Margot Bouman and Lisa Rubin announce the creation of the new Ann Snitow student award for contributions in gender studies at the New School, and announce its first winner, Maria Paz. They also announce the winner of the inaugural graduate student award winner, Katie Detwiler.
Lastly, Ann Snitow delivers prepared remarks, and speaks of her passion for feminism as her “dyer’s hand,” in a reference to Shakespeare.
The photographs are jpg files, and the movie is a mp4 file.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research use. Some digital files may be accessed onsite at The New School Archives. 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 / Historical
Ann Barr Snitow was an associate professor in literature at Eugene Lang College and senior lecturer in liberal studies at the New School for Social Research, both divisions of The New School. Her association with The New School began in 1973 when she taught a literature course for the university’s Adult Division called “Women Without Men.”
Snitow received her BA from Cornell University and a PhD in literature from the University of London. After her graduate training, she returned to New York City in 1968 where she was involved with the city’s first feminist radio show Womankind (directed by Nanette Rainone on WBAI) and other feminist activism.
Snitow was hired by Livingston College at Rutgers University in 1972. She was part of the nascent gender studies program spearheaded by Kate Ellis. By 1982, most of the gender studies faculty at Livingston were fired, including Snitow. Later, faculty at Douglass College developed gender studies at Rutgers into the thriving program it is today.
After leaving Rutgers, Snitow returned for a time to feminist writing and activism before being offered a position at The New School’s recently created undergraduate liberal arts division, Eugene Lang College, to help establish its curriculum.
Snitow arrived at Eugene Lang College in the fall of 1986 and was instrumental to the teaching and development of that college’s gender studies concentration. As gender studies at The New School waxed and waned, Snitow was central in developing new programs or specializations. She retired in April 2019, and passed away only a few months later, in August 2019.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Transferred to The New School Archives via Margot Bouman, Assistant Professor of Visual Culture at Parsons School of Design, in 2019.
Processing Information
The photographs in the collection represent a selection made by the archivist at the time of accessioning.
- Digital images (Type of Material) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Digital moving image formats (Type of Material) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Eugene Lang College
- Feminism (Subject) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Feminism and higher education (Subject) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Gender studies (Subject) Subject Source: Homoit
- Snitow, Ann Barr, 1943-
- The New School (New York, NY.). Gender Studies program
- Title
- Guide to the Ann Snitow retirement party collection
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- New School Archives and Special Collections Staff
- Date
- March 28, 2022
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin