Violence Against Women Collection, 1967-1990
General International Standard for Archival Description
Sophia Smith Collection Smith CollegeNorthampton, MA
Finding aid encoded using Perl scripts and edited in XMetal 2.0. Encoded by Laura Cutter. 2003-06-12
Encoded Archival Description
Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Version 2002
collection
Violence Against Women Collection
Creation of Violence Against Women Collection
Time of Creation of Violence Against Women Collection
Scope and Contents of the Collection The Violence Against Women Collection is comprised of four sections: Domestic violence, Pornography, Rape and sexual assault, and Newsletters. The materials in this collection document the activism of women and organizations that sought to draw attention to and provide resources and support for women victimized by types of violence that, prior to the Women's Liberation movements of the 1970s, were largely ignored in mainstream society. In addition to documenting the legislative and grassroots efforts to create and sustain shelters, counseling services, and legal support for victims of violence, many articles and portions of newsletters articulate a feminist theory that links the patriarchal structure of society to the perpetration of violence against women. The material in this collection dates from the 1970s to the 1990s. "Stop Rape" handbook published by Women Against Rape, 1971 The domestic violence section of this collection consists of articles, creative writing and personal stories, newspaper clippings, national legislation, reports, and a variety of printed material. National efforts, such as the 1980 Domestic Violence Services and Prevention Act, and documents pertaining to local and non-profit initiatives demonstrate the complex relationship between grassroots activism and government intervention in providing adequate services for women and their children seeking to escape domestic violence. While many regions of the United States are represented, the material pertaining to New York state is especially rich. Of particular interest are the documents regarding the workings of the Department of Social Services, the New York legal system, and the local analysis of and response to the federal budget cuts made by the Reagan administration. The pornography section of this collection is rather brief and contains articles, pamphlets, and printed material professing the view that sexually explicit material objectifies and dehumanizes women, thereby serving to normalize rape and other forms of sexual violence. The rape and sexual assault portion of this collection contains articles, pamphlets, newspaper clippings, and other printed material. While many of the documents reflect the evolution of rape and sexual assault as an issue of concern in the mainstream culture, others illustrate the persistent denial of the problem and the low conviction rate of men accused of rape. Of particular interest are the newspaper clippings, correspondence, and position papers establishing a link between rape and racism. The newsletters in this collection provide further insight into the ways in which violence against women was taken up as a cause in numerous localities and further documents the political struggles that occurred on the national level.
Family violence--United States--History--20th century--Sources
lcsh
Pornography--Social aspects--United States--History--20th century--Sources
Rape--United States--History--20th century--Sources
Women's shelters--United States--History--20th century--Sources
Women--Crimes against--United States--History--20th century--Sources
Women--Violence against--United States--History--20th century--Sources
Abused women--Services for--United States--History--20th century--Sources
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
General
Articles and papers, 1975-81, n.d.
Bibliographies, 1974, 1977, n.d.
Booklets, 1977-80, n.d.
Creative writing/personal stories, n.d.
Newspaper clippings, 1974-82, n.d.
National
Federal government
Department of Justice, 1980
Department of Labor, Women's Bureau, 1980
Legislation
Domestic Violence Prevention and Services Act, 1979-80, n.d.
Family Protection Act, 1981
State overview, n.d.
Organizations
Business and Professional Women's Foundation, n.d.
National Center on Women and Family Law, 1981, n.d.
National Clearinghouse on Domestic Violence: papers, 1980, n.d.
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 1980-81
Women's Equity Action League, 1978
Regional
East
General, n.d.
Massachusetts, 1980-82, 1989
New York
Battered husbands and abused children, 1981, n.d.
Department of Social Services
General, 1979-80, n.d.
Domestic violence program plan, 1979
Domestic violence services, 1979, n.d.
Westchester County, 1979-80, n.d.
Federal budget cuts: information and local response, 1980-81, n.d.
Governor's Task Force on Domestic Violence:
General, 1980-81, n.d.
Report, 1980
Legal system
Criminal court, 1977-81, n.d.
Family court
General, 1978-81, n.d.
Report, 1981
Organizations and conferences
Proposal, n.d.
New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 1981-82, n.d.
New York State Coalition for Battered Women Planning Conference, 1978
United Way of Central New York, 1981
Volunteers Against Violence Technical Assistance Program, 1980
Reports
Existing Services to Battered Women and Their Families, 1979
Research on Service Delivery to Battered Women and Crime Victims, 1980
Battered Women, n.d.
Resources
Pamphlets, circa 1978-81
Directories, n.d.
Midwest
Indiana, 1980
Michigan
Reports, 1976, 1980
Training materials, 1980
Nebraska, 1978
West: General, 1981, n.d.
PORNOGRAPHY: general, 1980, n.d.
[See also Periodicals]
RAPE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT
Articles, 1967-86, n.d.
Bibliographies, 1979
Booklets, 1971, 1978-81
Creative writing/personal experiences, n.d.
Newspaper clippings, 1971-81, n.d.
International tribunal on crimes against women, 1975, n.d.
Feminist Alliance Against Rape (FAAR), n.d.
Rape Crisis Centers, 1978, n.d.
[See also Women's Liberation Collection]
Miscellaneous, n.d.
Racism, 1974-82, n.d.
NEWSLETTERS
Family Violence Bulletin, 1990
Kitty Genovese Women's Project, 1977
Majority Report
The MN Exchange, 1981-83
NCASA (National Coalition Against Sexual Assault), 1980
NCN (National Communications Network for the Elimination of Violence Against Women), 1978
National Technical Assistance Center on Family Violence Monthly Memo, 1979-81
The Shelter, 1983
Strategies, 1990
WAVAW (Women Against Violence Against Women), n.d.
BOOKS ON SHELF
Moore, Donna M., ed. Battered Women (Beverly hills: Sage Publications,1979)