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This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the FAQ section for more information.
Funding from the Watson-Brown Foundation, Inc., supported the processing of this collection and the encoding of this finding aid.
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Collection Overview
| Size | 33.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 18,400 items) |
| Abstract | Elizabeth Fox-Genovese was a feminist, author, and professor of women's studies and history who was known for her evolution from Marxist-leaning secularist to Roman Catholic and vocal presence in the conservative women's movement. While her early writings focused on French history and translations, Fox-Genovese later wrote extensively on southern women, slavery, and feminism. Fox-Genovese taught at University of Rochester (N.Y.), the State University of New York at Binghamton, and Emory University in Atlanta, Ga., where she founded the Institute for Women's Studies. She was married to Eugene D. Genovese, southern historian and author. The collection contains correspondence, writings, legal papers and other items documenting the professional and private life of Elizabeth Fox-Genovese. Correspondence is chiefly personal. Writings include drafts of articles, books, and translations. Professional activities reflected in the collection include involvement with professional associations and societies, talks and lectures, conference attendance, participation in conservative causes, and editorship of professional journals. Legal materials document the discrimination and sexual harassment lawsuit filed by Virginia Gould against Emory University and Fox-Genovese, as well as Fox-Genovese's testimony for the defense in the court battles to integrate the Citadel and Virginia Military Institute (VMI). Photographs, early diaries, medical records, and financial papers are largely personal. Also included are early writings, correspondence, and other materials related to her husband, Eugene D. Genovese. |
| Creator | Fox-Genovese, Elizabeth, 1941-2007. |
| Language | English French |
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Information For Users
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Subject Headings
The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
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Biographical
Information
Elizabeth Fox-Genovese was a feminist, author, and professor of women's studies and history who was known for her evolution from Marxist-leaning secularist to Roman Catholic and vocal presence in the conservative women's movement.
Fox-Genovese, known as "Bestey," was born in Boston on 28 May 1941 to prominent historian Edward Whiting Fox and Elizabeth "Betty" Simon Fox, daughter of real estate mogel Robert Simon. Betsey studied at the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris and attended Bryn Mawr College, receiving a B.A. in French and history in 1963. Pursuing graduate degrees in history at Harvard University, she earned a master's degree in 1966 and a Ph.D. in 1974. In 1969, at the age of 28, Betsey married fellow historian and author Eugene Genovese.
Fox-Genovese taught at University of Rochester (N.Y.), Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris, and the State University of New York at Binghamton prior to her appointment as Eleonore Raoul Professor of the Humanities at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga. In 1986, she founded the Institute for Women's Studies at Emory, acting as its director until 1991.
Fox-Genovese's early writings focused on French history and translations, including The Origins of Physiocracy: Economic Revolution and Social Order in Eighteenth-Century France , published in 1976. She later wrote extensively on southern women, slavery, and feminism. Her book Within the Plantation Household: Black and White Women of the Old South (1988) received the C. Hugh Holman Prize from the Society for Southern Literature and the Julia Cherry Spruill Prize from the Southern Association for Women Historians and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. In addition to her own writings, Fox-Genovese collaborated with her husband, a historian of American slavery. They co-authored several articles and two books, Fruits of Merchant Capital: Slavery and Bourgeois Property in the Rise and Expansion of Capitalism (1983) and The Mind of the Master Class: History and Faith in the Southern Slaveholders’ Worldview (2005). In 2003, she was awarded the National Humanities Medal as a "pioneer in women's studies." Fox-Genovese also authored Feminism Without Illusions: A Critique of Individualism (1991) and Feminism Is Not the Story of My Life: How Today’s Feminist Elite Has Lost Touch With the Real Concerns of Women (1995).
In 1991, L. Virginia ("Ginger") Gould, a former student and employee, sued Emory University and Fox-Genovese, sparking a public legal battle. Under Fox-Genovese, Gould served as Associate Director of the Institute for Women's Studies from August to October 1991. Gould sued Emory University and Fox-Genovese for violating her civil rights, accusing Fox-Genovese of sexual harassment and discrimination. In March 1996, Emory University settled the sexual harassment and discrimination case on the day opening statements were scheduled to begin. Fox-Genovese also participated in two other legal cases, serving as an expert witness in court cases involving the all-male admissions policies of two military academies, the Citadel and Virginia Military Institute (VMI).
Fox-Genovese held active memberships in numerous historical associations, including an elected position in the Society of American Historians. She held positions on editorial boards of several scholarly journals and served as founding editor of the Journal of the Historical Society , 1998-2005. Her lecture circuit spanned the United States, and she was frequently solicited by the press for quotes relating to gender issues.
In 1995, Fox-Genovese publicly converted to Roman Catholicism. She criticized the women's movement and rejected secular liberalism in her later speeches, interviews, and writings. In her later years, Fox-Genovese lived with multiple sclerosis. After major surgery in October 2006, her health declined, and she died on 2 January 2007.
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Scope and Content
Correspondence, writings, legal papers, diaries and planners, medical records, financial papers, photographs, data disks, audiotapes, and other materials related to the professional and personal life of historian Elizabeth Fox-Genovese. Also included are early writings, correspondence, and other materials related to her husband Eugene D. Genovese.
Series 1. Correspondence includes letters chiefly received by Elizabeth Fox-Genovese, greeting cards sent to Fox-Genovese and Genovese, and condolence cards received by Eugene Genovese upon Fox-Genovese's death, as well as hard copies of emails sent and received by Fox-Genovese. Correspondents include colleagues and fellow scholars, students and former advisees, friends and family. Edward W. Fox Jr., "Teddy," Fox-Genovese's brother and fellow academic, figures prominently in the email subseries. Topics of correspondence include praise and critique of the Fox-Genovese's writings and other accomplishments, solicitations for appearances, personal and professional difficulties of working in academia, requests for mentorship and assistance from former students and aspiring scholars, and personal exchanges with friends and family.
Series 2. Writings include academic works dating from Elizabeth Fox-Genovese's college years; translation work; articles, books and related materials that she authored or co-authored with her husband Eugene Genovese; commentary on those works by others; Fox-Genovese's comments on others' work; publishing contracts and permissions; and press clippings related to Fox-Genovese and her work.
Series 3. Materials related to Elizabeth Fox-Genovese's professional associations and societies and conservative causes. There are also texts of talks and lectures given by Fox-Genovese.
Series 4. Correspondence and other papers from the inception of the Journal of the Historical Society to Fox-Genovese's resignation as editor in 2005. Fox-Genovese as editor and Laura Crawley as managing editor figure prominently in issue development, article solitication and submission, and extensive editing of articles.
Series 5. Course material, syllabi, course evaluations, recommendations written by Fox-Genovese, student papers, Fox-Genovese's notes on student presentations, and materials related to the Pew Younger Scholars program.
Series 6. Legal materials document the discrimination and sexual harassment lawsuit filed by Virginia Gould against Emory University and Fox-Genovese, as well as Fox-Genovese's testimony for the defense in the court battles to integrate the Citadel and Virginia Military Institute (VMI).
Series 7. Photographs center mainly on portraits of Elizabeth Fox-Genovese, Eugene Genovese, their friends, and Genovese family members.
Series 8. Other materials include diaries, daybooks, and daily planners kept by Fox-Genovese, 1966-1996; medical records, 2000-2006; financial papers, 2002-2004; and data disks and audiotapes relating to Fox-Genovese's instruction, scholarship, and professional activities. Eugene Genovese's papers, chiefly 1956-1983, include his master's thesis and dissertation, correspondence, financial and legal papers, contracts, articles written by Genovese, and publications that include his early writings.
Where possible, original file folder titles have been retained.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Correspondence, 1972-2007 and undated.
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Subseries 1.1. Letters and Related Materials, 1972-2007
and undated.
Arrangement: chronological, then alphabetical by correspondent, then alphabetical by topic.
Correspondence includes letters chiefly received by Elizabeth Fox-Genovese, greeting cards sent to Fox-Genovese and Eugene Genovese, and condolence cards received by Eugene Genovese upon Fox-Genovese's death. Correspondents include colleagues and fellow scholars, students and former advisees, friends and family. Topics of correspondence include praise and critique of Fox-Genovese's writings and other accomplishments, solicitations for appearances, and notes of a personal nature. Where possible, original folder titles by Fox-Genovese have been retained.
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Subseries 1.2. Emails, 1994-2005.
Arrangement: chronological and alphabetical.
Hard copies of emails sent and received by Elizabeth Fox-Genovese. Correspondents include colleagues and fellow scholars, students and former advisees, friends and family. Edward Whiting Fox Jr., Fox-Genovese's brother and fellow academic, figures prominently in this series, with his emails both separated into specific folders and scattered throughout. Topics include personal and professional difficulties of working in academia, requests for mentorship and assistance from former students and aspiring scholars, and personal exchanges with friends and family. Where possible, original folder titles by Fox-Genovese have been retained.
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Series 2. Writings and Related Materials, 1963-2005.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Early writings dating from Fox-Genovese's college years and her later translation work; articles, books and related materials that she authored or co-authored with her husband Eugene Genovese; commentary on those works by others; Fox-Genovese's comments on others' work; publishing contracts and permissions; and press clippings related to Fox-Genovese and her work. Few drafts are included; articles are frequently in a final draft form, showing little to no editing or annotations.
Note that original file folder titles have, for the most part, been retained.
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Subseries 2.1. Early Works, 1963-1969 and
undated.
Arrangement: chronological.
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Subseries 2.2. Articles, Books and Related Materials, 1998-2005 and undated.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
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Subseries 2.3. Other Materials.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Correspondence with publishers and contracts, comments and reviews by Elizabeth Fox-Genovese, writings by others, media coverage, and materials related to research.
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Series 3. Professional Activities and Related Materials.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Materials related to Elizabeth Fox-Genovese's professional associations and societies and conservative causes. Also included are the texts of talks and lectures Fox-Genovese delivered at colleges, universities, and other organizations.
Note that original file folder titles have, for the most part, been retained.
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Series 4. Journal of the Historical Society, 1998-2005.
Arrangement: chronological.
Correspondence and other papers from the inception of the Journal of the Historical Society to Elizabeth Fox-Genovese's resignation as editor in 2005. Fox-Genovese as editor and Laura Crawley as managing editor figure prominently in issue development, article solitication and submission, and extensive editing of articles.
| Box 27-29 |
Journal of the Historical Society, 1998-2005 #04851, Series: "4. Journal of the Historical Society, 1998-2005." Box 27-29Box 27Box 28Box 29 |
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Series 5. Instruction and Related Materials.
Arrangement: by subject.
RESTRICTED: Boxes 30-35 are CLOSED until 2068.
Course material, syllabi, course evaluations, recommendations written by Elizabeth Fox-Genovese, student papers, Fox-Genovese's notes on student presentations, and materials related to the Pew Younger Scholars program.
| Box 30-35 |
Instruction and Related Materials #04851, Series: "5. Instruction and Related Materials." Box 30-35Box 30Box 31Box 32Box 33Box 34Box 35 |
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Series 6. Legal Cases, 1991-1997.
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Subseries 6.1. Virginia Gould vs. Emory University and Elizabeth
Fox-Genovese, 1991-1996.
RESTRICTED: Materials in box 42 are CLOSED until 2077.
Materials documenting the discrimination and sexual harassment lawsuit filed by former Institute for Women's Studies Associate Director Virginia Gould against Emory University and Elizabeth Fox-Genovese. Included are legal papers, exhibits, correspondence from Fox-Genovese's attorneys, Fox-Genovese's own notes, press clippings, notes of support, and related materials.
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Subseries 6.2. Shannon Faulkner and the United States of America v. the
State of South Carolina and the Citadel, 1994.
Elizabeth Fox-Genovese's depositions, her research notes, correspondence from defense attorneys, and portions of others' testimony.
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Subseries 6.3. United States of America vs. Commonwealth of Virginia,
et al., 1991-1997.
Materials relating to the legal battle to integrate women into Virginia Military Institute, including correspondence from defense attorneys and court-produced materials, such as the trial transcript.
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Series 7. Photographs, 1972-2005.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
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Series 8. Other Materials, 1958-2006 and undated.
Arrangement: chronological, by subject, and by format.
Diaries, daybooks, and daily planners kept by Elizabeth Fox-Genovese, 1966-1996; medical records, 2000-2006; financial papers, 2002-2004; and data disks and audiotapes relating to Fox-Genovese's instruction, scholarship, and professional activities. Items of note include Fox-Genovese's early diaries, 1966-1969, 1972, and 1974-1977, and undated psychoanalysis notebook. Also included are 3-1/2" and 5-1/4" floppy disks containing files of course planning, drafts of work, professional activities, and personal papers and audiotapes created by and for Elizabeth Fox-Genovese possibly in the course of research and presentations.
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Series 9. Eugene Genovese Papers, 1956-1983.
Arrangement: by subject.
Genovese's master's thesis and dissertation from Columbia University and undergraduate honors paper from Brooklyn College; financial and legal papers; contracts; articles written by Genovese; and publications that include his writings. Correspondence chiefly relates to scholarly endeavors, 1965-1974, with one 1956 communique from the Department of the Army confirming Genovese's honorable discharge from military service.
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Items Separated
Processed by: Library Staff, October 2001 and March 2002; Amanda Ross, December 2007
Encoded by: Amanda Ross, December 2007
Funding from the Watson-Brown Foundation, Inc., supported the processing of this collection and the encoding of this finding aid.
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