Barbara S. Brown : Alumni Stories

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Abstract/Contents

Abstract: Barbara Brown (1974 BA Philosophy) shares memories of her experience at Stanford in the early 1970s, reflecting especially on issues of gender and class. She describes how the political sensibilities of her Jewish family drew her from Brooklyn to the Bay Area for college and explains why she gravitated from studying math and science to philosophy. She shares memories of professors who had a lasting impact on her, including Nancy Cartwright, the only female faculty member in the Department of Philosophy, but also recalls how intimidated she felt as an undergraduate. Brown describes her involvement with the feminist movement at Stanford, including assembling the first edition of A Guide for Stanford Women, teaching a course on women’s studies through SWOPSI, and participating on the Committee for the Education and Employment of Women. She describes the process of her radicalization as a feminist and offers insights into the experience of being a young woman in the 1970s, including access to birth control, new ideas about women’s health, and attitudes towards sex. After graduating from Stanford, Brown worked in San Francisco politics and public service, and she comments on some of her experiences as a young woman in positions of responsibility. She concludes by ruminating on issues of wealth and privilege and contrasts her undergraduate experience with that of her daughter who attended Stanford in the 2010s.

Type of resource	text
Extent	1 text file
Place	Stanford (Calif.)
Publisher	Stanford Historical Society
Date created	October 26, 2019
Language	English
Digital origin	born digital

Interviewee	Brown, Barbara S.
Creator	Brown, Barbara S.
Interviewer	Basila, Baylee
Publisher	Stanford Historical Society

Subject	Stanford University. Students > 1970s
Subject	Universities and colleges
Subject	College students
Genre	Interview

Audio	Title Audio
Finding Aid	Title Stanford Historical Society Oral History Program Interviews
Location	https://purl.stanford.edu/vy834bc6890
Location	SC0932
Repository	Stanford University. Libraries. Department of Special Collections and University Archives

Use and reproduction: The materials are open for research use and may be used freely for non-commercial purposes with an attribution. For commercial permission requests, please contact the Stanford University Archives (universityarchives@stanford.edu).

Stanford Historical Society Oral History Program interviews, 1999-2022

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