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Berenice Carroll papers

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSF 553

Scope and Contents

This collection contains materials that document Dr. Berenice Carroll’s work at Purdue and her involvement in activist organizations in the Greater Lafayette area. It includes email print outs, event fliers, event planning materials, and background information (mainly clippings, articles, and listerv activity) on social justice issues. The collection includes correspondence, meeting minutes, and other materials that capture her activities on various administrative committees and as director of the Women’s Studies Program at Purdue, as well as event fliers, correspondence, newsletters, and other materials that document the operations of the Women's Studies department. The collection includes course syllabi, course schedules, correspondence, and samplings of student work from her time as a professor of political science, women's studies, and international relations at Purdue. The collection includes requests for letters of recommendation, correspondence, and other materials that demonstrate her mentorship and advocacy for students and colleagues. The collection documents Carroll's other professional work with materials including her resumes, awards and honors she received, conferences she spoke at or organized, and requests for her to review or edit pending publications. It also includes assorted materials and publications collected by Berenice and some personal correspondence.

Dates

  • Creation: 1965 - 2012

Creator

Access Information

The majority of the collection is open for research. Select files from several series have been removed from their location within the series to be restricted for 75 years. The locations that files were removed from have been indicated within the collection boxes.

One file of restricted materials have been removed from Series 2 Sub-Series 1, Series 3, Series 4, Series 5, and Series 10, Sub-Series 4. Majority of restricted materials (20 files) have been removed from Series 6.

Copyright and Use Information

Copyright for majority of materials held by Purdue University. Copyright for published materials within the collection held by original creator. Consult with Purdue University Archives and Special Collections prior to reproduction of materials.

Biographical Information

Dr. Berenice Carroll was born December 14, 1932 to Margaret and Morris Jacobs. She earned her undergraduate degree from Queens College in New York (1953), and her PhD from Brown University (1960). Carroll's upbringing during WWII and her experiences of the Cold War during her college years and early career significantly impacted her research and activism over the course of her career. Carroll's first book, Design for Total War: Arms and Economics in the Third Reich, was written as a result of research she performed in Germany during her tenure as a Fulbright Scholar. This early text provided a foundation for her later peace research, which blended theory and activism and focused on the impacts of war, the power of peace and justice movements, and the intersection of feminist theory and peace. As Carroll realized the centrality of women in peace work, she published a number of studies about women who were engaged as political theorists and activists: Christine de Pizan, Mary Beard, Virginia Woolf, and, later, Jane Addams. She also published a book, Liberating Women's History: Theoretical and Critical Essays; Women's Political and Social Thought: An Anthology; and a special issue of the Women's Studies International Forum titled "In a Great Company of Women." In service to the developing fields of women's studies and political studies, Carroll played an active role in several professional organizations. She developed a women's caucus in both the American Political Science Association and the American Historical Association, and served as president of the National Women's Studies Association. She built the International Peace Research Association and the Consortium on Peace Research, Education, and Development (COPRED), now the Peace and Justice Studies Association, and served as it's chair in the 1980s. She also served as editor of Peace and CHange: A Journal for Peace Research. Over the course of her career, Carroll served as the Director of Women's Studies at University of Champaign-Urbana (1983-1987), University of Maryland- College Park (1975-1976), and Purdue University (1990-2000). She also taught political science at a number of universities: University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana (1966-1969, 1969-1990), University of Maryland at College Park (1975-76), and University of Texas at Austin (1975). Prior to her first tenure track position at University of Illinois, Carroll worked as a researcher and lecturer. During her tenure at University of Illinois, Carroll was active in the formation of the Grass Roots Group of Second Class Citizens, which advocated for the passage of the ERA. She also co-founded the first women's shelter in Illinois. At Purdue, Carroll was a part of the Council on the Status of Women, and numerous other social justice efforts, including some led by students. The WGSS program at Purdue annually awards the Berenice Carroll Feminism, Peace, and Social Justice Award in honor of her contributions at Purdue and to the fields of women's studies and peace studies. Berenice Carroll died in 2018.

Extent

64.801 Cubic Feet (59 cubic foot boxes, three letter-size full-width manuscript boxes, one legal-size full-width manuscript box, four shoe boxes, one flat folder of posters in a communal container, one floppy disc in a communal container, and five USB flash drives in a communal container. )

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

The collection has been arranged by topic in twelve series:
  1. Activism
  2. Pedagogy
  3. Mentorship
  4. Purdue University Departmental Operations
  5. Purdue University Events
  6. Purdue University Administrative Materials
  7. Purdue University Assorted Materials
  8. Professional Correspondence, Notes, and Other Materials
  9. Assorted Publications
  10. Professional Work
  11. Personal
  12. Photographs
  13. Personal Library

Technical Access Information

Floppy disk contained in Series 2, Sub-Series 1 and five USB flash drives have not been processed. Contact Purdue University Archives and Special Collections if interested in using this material.

Custodial History

Some materials were donated by Berenice Carroll, while subsequent additions were donated post-humously by her descendants. Most materials were packed and transferred from the donor's home by archivists.

Acquisition Information

Collection donated in installments by Berenice Carroll and post-humously by her family on June 8, 2017; August 22, 2018; November 7, 2018; and November 29, 2018.

Accruals

No further additions to the collection are expected.

Related Materials

MSP 300, Clint Fink papers, Purdue University Archives and Special Collections, Purdue University Libraries.

UA 63, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program records, Purdue University Archives and Special Collections, Purdue University Libraries.

MSP 49 Council on the Status of Women records, Purdue University Archives and Special Collections, Purdue University Libraries.

Processing Information

The original order of the materials has been retained wherever possible. Materials were organized by topic into series, but the original material has been maintained within each series.

The majority of materials were originally housed in folders labeled by the creator, and that organization and the labels have been maintained. Some of the original creator's labels were written on the original folders, but many labels were located on post-it notes. Labels that were located on post-it notes have been used as the title for that folder and the post-it notes were removed. Numerous post-it notes identifying items on other pages on the collection have been left in their original location.

All materials have been housed in acid-free folders and acid-free boxes. Acid-free paper was placed around newspaper items in their original location. Several items with stains or water damage were copied onto acid-free paper for preservation. Materials containing sensitive information were redacted or restricted depending on the nature of the material. Materials containing student grades or other information that could never be accessed according to FERPA were redacted and the originals were destroyed. Other materials have been restricted or redacted (through photo-copying onto acid-free paper), and the originals have been restricted.

Six posters were unfurled and housed in a flat file, and 3 boxes of photos have been rehoused in acid free shoe boxes. Items too wide to fit in cubic foot boxes have been placed in Box 31, and restricted items are located in boxes 29 and 30. Placemarkers with a sheet indicating the location of these items were placed in the original location within the cubic foot boxes.

Various materials were weeded from the collection including multiplicitous copies; materials containing student names, student ID numbers, or grades including class lists/rosters, grade lists, graded coursework, sign-in attendance sheets, notices of schedule changes, and email correspondence regarding grades; letters of recommendation; materials (resumes, cover letters, and course work) provided by students or peers requesting letters of recommendation from Berenice Carroll; materials (resumes, cover letters, samples of work) provided for hiring or promotion processes; photocopies of passports, identification cards, and travel receipts containing personal identification info of other people; and invoices or other financial statements with credit card or bank account information.

A large majority of the materials in the collection were printed on re-used paper by the creator so there is irrelevant material on the backsides of many items.

Materials related to Dr. Carroll's tenure at the University of Illinois, Urbana- Champaign were transferred to their archives, April 2023.

Books are under review as of November 2025.

Related Names

Subjects

Deaccessions

  • Materials related to Dr. Berenice Carroll's tenure at the University of Illinois, Urbana- Champaign.

Collecting Areas

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Berenice Carroll papers
Status
Under Review
Author
E. Sandgren and Sara Pettinger
Date
2025-11-25
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Edition statement
Second edition. Collection description first completed on April 21, 2023.

Physical Storage Information

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Purdue University Archives and Special Collections Repository

http://www.lib.purdue.edu/spcol
Contact:
504 Mitch Daniels Boulevard
West Lafayette Indiana 47907 United States
765-494-2839