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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 Duplication Policy section for more information.
Size | 38.0 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 14,000 items) |
Abstract | Robert Coles is a child psychiatrist who worked at Harvard University, social activist, and prolific author. His work especially concerns the experiences of children, but he has also written about contemporary literature, psychology, religion, and other dimensions of American culture. The collection contains correspondence and writings of Coles and other material documenting his career. Correspondence is with psychiatric and journalistic colleagues, students, editors and publishers, readers, friends, and others, including Daniel Berrigan, Robert Jay Lifton, Will Campbell, Robert Penn Warren, C. Vann Woodward, Cormac McCarthy, and Walter Mondale. Writings include drafts of most of Coles's books, and drafts and published versions of most of his articles. Other writings include speeches, interviews, and congressional testimony by Coles, writings by others about Coles, and miscellaneous subject files relating to Coles's teaching and public appearances. The collection also includes drawings by children that were included in an exhibit titled "Their Eyes Meeting the World: The Drawings and Painting of Children," as well as other exhibit materials. |
Creator | Coles, Robert. |
Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
Language | English |
Processed by: SHC Staff, 1980s-1990s, and Margaret Dickson, June 2007
Encoded by: Margaret Dickson, June 2007
Additions have not been incorporated into the original arrangement.
Back to TopThe 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.
Time magazine has called Robert Coles "the most influential living psychiatrist in the U.S." Though best known for his work on children, he is also a leading authority on poverty and racial discrimination in the country. He first won recognition for his studies of black children in the South. From these, he has gone on to observe and write about children of other minorities (Native Americans, Inuit, and Chicanos) and in other stressful or disadvantaged situations (migrant camps, ghettos, Appalachia, and Northern Ireland.) Through his writings and testimony before congressional committees, he has sought reform in the areas of race relations, mining conditions, pesticides, health services, and, particularly, hunger and malnutrition. Coles has also written widely on contemporary literature, religion, psychology, and other dimensions of American culture.
Coles was born October 12, 1929, in Boston. He earned his B.A. from Harvard in 1950 and his M.D. from Columbia in 1954, after which he decided to become a child psychiatrist and continued his training through into the Air Force and served as chief of neuropsychiatric services at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi.
At the end of his tour of duty in 1960, Coles became a member of the Psychiatric Staff of Harvard's Medical School (1960-1962) and Health Services (1963-). He and his wife, however, lived in Vining, Georgia, near Atlanta, for the first half of the 1960s, where he studied black children and how they were affected by school desegregation and the civil rights movement. He himself was actively involved in civil rights work during those years, particularly through the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which he served as psychiatric counselor. In 1966, he returned to Harvard as a lecturer in general education. In 1978, he became professor of psychiatry and medical humanities at the Harvard Medical School.
A year after his return to Harvard, Coles published his first book, Children of Crisis: A Study in Courage and Fear, based on his work in the South. This was the first of a five-volume series, volumes two and three of which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1973. Coles has written over thirty-five books (as of 1983) and over 500 articles, which have been published in more than sixty magazines, journals, and newspapers. He is a regular contributor to Atlantic Monthly, New Yorker , New York Times Book Review, Washington Post Book World, Boston Globe , and several psychiatric journals. Since 1966, he has been a contributing editor to the New Republic, and has served on the editorial boards of American Scholar and several other journals.
In 1960, Coles married Jane Hallowell of Boston. They co-authored the two-volume Women of Crisis and several other works. They live in Concord, Mass., and are the parents of three sons.
Back to TopThe collection consists primarily of child psychiatrist, social activist, and author Robert Coles's correspondence and writings from the mid-1960s onwards, with a few articles from earlier years. Correspondence is with psychiatric and journalistic colleagues, students, editors and publishers, readers, friends, and others, including Daniel Berrigan, Robert Jay Lifton, Will Campbell, Robert Penn Warren, C. Vann Woodward, Cormac McCarthy, and Walter Mondale. Writings include drafts of most of Coles's books, and drafts and published versions of most of his articles. Other writings include speeches, interviews, and congressional testimony by Coles, writings by others about Coles, and miscellaneous subject files relating to Coles's teaching and public appearances. The collection also includes drawings by children that were included in an exhibit titled "Their Eyes Meeting the World: The Drawings and Painting of Children," as well as other exhibit materials.
Additions to the collection have not been incorporated into the original arrangement.
Back to TopRESTRICTED: Series 1 may be used only with the permission of Robert Coles.
Arrangement: Alphabetical by correspondent.
Letters to Coles from psychiatric and journalistic colleagues, students, editors and publishers, government officials, and readers (including children) responding to his writings, as well as of carbon copies of some of Coles's letters to them. These letters to and from Coles reflect his roles as doctor, teacher, researcher, consultant, writer, and friend. There are numerous letters from Daniel Berrigan, Alex Harris, Harry Huge, George Abbot White, and Norman Rockwell, each of whom collaborated with Coles on one or more projects. Other regular correspondents include Walter Mondale, McGeorge Bundy, Daniel Erikon, Robert Jay Lifton, Will Campbell, Robert Penn Warren, C. Vann Woodward, Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., and Andrew Greeley. Material from most correspondents is foldered separately, although correspondence with those represented by only one or two letters is included in "miscellaneous" files at the end of each letter of the alphabet.
See Additions of February 1996, May 1996, and July 1996 for more correspondence.
Arrangement: Alphabetical by folder title.
Manuscript, typescript, and/or published versions of Coles's writings. There are three subseries based on the form of writing involved. Subseries 2.1 is made up of drafts and galley proofs of Coles's many books.
Versions of many of Coles's shorter writings are contained in Subseries 2.2, made up of approximately 540 articles, essays, and book reviews. More than any other part of the collection, these writings reflect his range of experiences, interests, and areas of expertise. They include the results of his research contacts with children, minorities, and underprivileged groups; medical and psychoanalytical studies; social and political commentary on a wide variety of themes, with particular emphasis on race relations, urban and rural poverty, education, and ethics; and literary analyses of various writers, particularly Flannery O'Connor, James Agee, Walker Percy, Simone Weil, and William Carlos Williams. Other figures whose work Coles admires and has often written about include Dorothy Day, Erik Erikson, Cesar Chavez, and Reinhold Neibuhr. This subseries also includes numerous book reviews, and several of Coles's introductions and forewards for books by other authors.
Subseries 2.3 consists of works by Coles that were first presented orally. These include lectures, interviews, and panel discussions, most of which were subsequently pubulished, and testimony Coles gave at hearings before various Senate and other governmental committees.
Folder 544-550
Folder 544Folder 545Folder 546Folder 547Folder 548Folder 549Folder 550 |
Anna Freud: The Dream of Psychoanalysis, Addison-Wesley, 1992 |
Folder 551-570
Folder 551Folder 552Folder 553Folder 554Folder 555Folder 556Folder 557Folder 558Folder 559Folder 560Folder 561Folder 562Folder 563Folder 564Folder 565Folder 566Folder 567Folder 568Folder 569Folder 570 |
The Call of Stories: Teaching and the Moral Imagination, Houghton Mifflin, 1989 |
Folder 571 |
Children of Crisis: A Study of Courage and Fear, Boston, Little Brown, 1967 |
Folder 572-576
Folder 572Folder 573Folder 574Folder 575Folder 576 |
Dorothy Day: A Radical Devotion, Addison-Wesley, 1987 |
Folder 577-578
Folder 577Folder 578 |
The Geography of Faith, Beacon Press, 1971 |
Folder 579-580
Folder 579Folder 580 |
The Grass Pipe, Atlantic-Little, Brown, 1971 |
Folder 581-582
Folder 581Folder 582 |
Harvard Diary: Reflections on the Sacred and the Secular, Crossroad, 1988 |
Folder 583 |
The Middle Americans, Atlantic-Little, Brown, 1971 |
Folder 584-594
Folder 584Folder 585Folder 586Folder 587Folder 588Folder 589Folder 590Folder 591Folder 592Folder 593Folder 594 |
The Moral Life of Children, Atlantic Monthly Press, 1986 |
Folder 595 |
Folder number not used |
Folder 596-606
Folder 596Folder 597Folder 598Folder 599Folder 600Folder 601Folder 602Folder 603Folder 604Folder 605Folder 606 |
The Political Life of Children, Atlantic Monthly Press, 1986 |
Folder 607-609
Folder 607Folder 608Folder 609 |
Rumors of Separate Worlds, 1989 |
Folder 610-611
Folder 610Folder 611 |
Saving Face, Atlantic-Little, Brown, 1972 |
Folder 612-619
Folder 612Folder 613Folder 614Folder 615Folder 616Folder 617Folder 618Folder 619 |
Simone Weil: A Modern Pilgrimage, Addison-Wesley, 1987 |
Folder 620-634
Folder 620Folder 621Folder 622Folder 623Folder 624Folder 625Folder 626Folder 627Folder 628Folder 629Folder 630Folder 631Folder 632Folder 633Folder 634 |
The Spiritual Life of Children, Houghton-Mifflin, 1990 |
Folder 635-636
Folder 635Folder 636 |
Teachers and the Children of Poverty, The Potomac Institute, 1970 |
Folder 637-638
Folder 637Folder 638 |
Times of Surrender: Selected Essays, University of Iowa, 1988 |
Folder 639 |
Unidentified Fragments |
Arrangement: Alphabetical by folder title.
Works about Coles by other writers. These include a short biographical sketch, two magazine cover stories, a dissertation chapter, and a dialogue between two of Coles's associates.
RESTRICTED: Series 4 may be used only with the permission of Robert Coles.
Arrangement: Alphabetical by title.
Files of subjects Coles utilized in his writings as well as his research. This is a scattered rather than a comprehensive set of files focusing on a small number of Coles's interests and activities.
RESTRICTED: Series 5 may be used only with the permission of Robert Coles.
Arrangement: Chronological and geographical.
Correspondence and other items relating to invitations to appear or serve that Coles received from various organizations and individuals.
Folder 1299 |
California |
Folder 1300 |
Colorado |
Folder 1301 |
Connecticut |
Folder 1302 |
Florida |
Folder 1303 |
Illinois |
Folder 1304 |
Indiana |
Folder 1305 |
Kentucky |
Folder 1306 |
Louisiana |
Folder 1307 |
Maryland |
Folder 1308 |
Massachusetts |
Folder 1309-1310
Folder 1309Folder 1310 |
Massachusetts - Harvard |
Folder 1311 |
Michigan |
Folder 1312 |
Mississippi |
Folder 1313 |
Missouri |
Folder 1314 |
Nevada |
Folder 1315 |
New Jersey |
Folder 1316 |
New York |
Folder 1317 |
Pennsylvania |
Folder 1318 |
South Carolina |
Folder 1319 |
Texas |
Folder 1320 |
Virginia |
Folder 1321 |
Washington |
Folder 1322 |
Washington, D.C. |
Folder 1323 |
Wisconsin |
RESTRICTED: Series 6 may be used only with the permission of Robert Coles.
Arrangement: Alphabetical by folder title.
Files relating to courses Coles taught at Harvard and elsewhere.
Folder 1324 |
Adams House Seminar |
Folder 1325 |
Duke Teaching, 1982-1984 |
Folder 1326 |
Extension Course: University of California, San Diego |
Folder 1327 |
Freshman Seminar, Fall 1978, 1981-1984 |
Folder 1328-1330
Folder 1328Folder 1329Folder 1330 |
General Education 105: The Literature of Social Reflection, 1981-1986 |
Folder 1331 |
Graduate School of Education 1982-1983 |
Folder 1332 |
The Literature of Christian Reflection: Course Proposal, Teaching Fellows, Syllabus, Exams, 1981-1983 |
Folder 1333 |
Harvard Alumni College, Harvard Alumni Association |
Folder 1334-1335
Folder 1334Folder 1335 |
Harvard Graduate School of Education |
Folder 1336 |
Adams Harvard Medical School: "New Pathway" project |
Folder 1337 |
Political Socialization Course, 1978 |
Folder 1338 |
Social Sciences 33: "Moral and Social Inquiry," 1977-1983 |
RESTRICTED: Additions may be used only with the permission of Robert Coles.
Children's drawings collected by Coles.
Box 25 |
Drawings reproduced in a Houghton-Mifflin publication |
Box 26 |
Drawings from Sale Creek School, Sale Creek, Tenn. |
Box 27 |
Drawings from A. W. Spaulding School, Collegedale, Tenn. |
Arrangement: Alphabetical by folder title.
Coles's files, late 1980s-around 1991, from his office at the University Health Services, Harvard University and, in 1995, from the University Health Services Office and from the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University. Letters chiefly relate to professional activities.
Note that files are in very loose alphabetical order.
Folder 1339-1341
Folder 1339Folder 1340Folder 1341 |
Late 1980s-1991: A |
Folder 1342-1345
Folder 1342Folder 1343Folder 1344Folder 1345 |
Late 1980s-1991: B |
Folder 1343-1348
Folder 1343Folder 1344Folder 1345Folder 1346Folder 1347Folder 1348 |
Late 1980s-1991: C |
Folder 1349-1353
Folder 1349Folder 1350Folder 1351Folder 1352Folder 1353 |
Late 1980s-1991: D |
Folder 1354-1355
Folder 1354Folder 1355 |
Late 1980s-1991: E |
Folder 1356-1358
Folder 1356Folder 1357Folder 1358 |
Late 1980s-1991: F |
Folder 1359-1363
Folder 1359Folder 1360Folder 1361Folder 1362Folder 1363 |
Late 1980s-1991: G |
Folder 1364-1371
Folder 1364Folder 1365Folder 1366Folder 1367Folder 1368Folder 1369Folder 1370Folder 1371 |
Late 1980s-1991: H |
Folder 1372 |
Late 1980s-1991: I |
Folder 1373-1374
Folder 1373Folder 1374 |
Late 1980s-1991: J |
Folder 1375-1379
Folder 1375Folder 1376Folder 1377Folder 1378Folder 1379 |
Late 1980s-1991: K |
Folder 1380-1384
Folder 1380Folder 1381Folder 1382Folder 1383Folder 1384 |
Late 1980s-1991: L |
Folder 1385-1391
Folder 1385Folder 1386Folder 1387Folder 1388Folder 1389Folder 1390Folder 1391 |
Late 1980s-1991: M |
Folder 1392 |
Late 1980s-1991: N |
Folder 1393-1394
Folder 1393Folder 1394 |
Late 1980s-1991: O |
Folder 1395-1398
Folder 1395Folder 1396Folder 1397Folder 1398 |
Late 1980s-1991: P |
Folder 1399 |
1995: A |
Folder 1400 |
1995: B |
Folder 1401-1402
Folder 1401Folder 1402 |
1995: C |
Folder 1403 |
1995: D |
Folder 1404 |
1995: E |
Folder 1405 |
1995: F |
Folder 1406 |
1995: G |
Folder 1407 |
1995: H-J |
Folder 1408 |
1995: K |
Folder 1409 |
1995: L |
Folder 1410 |
1995: M |
Folder 1411 |
1995: N-Q |
Folder 1412 |
1995: R-S |
Folder 1413 |
1995: T-V |
Folder 1414 |
1995: W-Z |
Arrangement: Chronological by year.
Coles's correspondence files, 1982-1994 and undated.
Folder 1415 |
1982-1985 |
Folder 1416-1419
Folder 1416Folder 1417Folder 1418Folder 1419 |
1986 |
Folder 1420-1422
Folder 1420Folder 1421Folder 1422 |
1987 |
Folder 1423-1426
Folder 1423Folder 1424Folder 1425Folder 1426 |
1988 |
Folder 1427-1430
Folder 1427Folder 1428Folder 1429Folder 1430 |
1989 |
Folder 1431-1435
Folder 1431Folder 1432Folder 1433Folder 1434Folder 1435 |
1990 |
Folder 1436-1441
Folder 1436Folder 1437Folder 1438Folder 1439Folder 1440Folder 1441 |
1991 |
Folder 1441-1448
Folder 1441Folder 1442Folder 1443Folder 1444Folder 1445Folder 1446Folder 1447Folder 1448 |
1992 |
Folder 1449 |
1993-1994 |
Folder 1450-1452
Folder 1450Folder 1451Folder 1452 |
Undated |
Arrangement: Alphabetical by folder title.
Correspondence files, R-S, mostly from the late 1980s to around 1991. Letters chiefly relate to professional activities. A-P files for these years were received in February 1996.
Folder 1453-1457
Folder 1453Folder 1454Folder 1455Folder 1456Folder 1457 |
Late 1980s-1991: R |
Folder 1458-1460
Folder 1458Folder 1459Folder 1460 |
Late 1980s-1991: S |
Children's drawings that were used in an exhibit titled "Their Eyes Meeting the World: The Drawings and Painting of Children," along with other exhibit materials including labels, a catalogue of the collection, and a packet of exhibit information that was sent to prospective curators.
Oversize Paper Folder OP-4333/1-11
OP-4333/1OP-4333/2OP-4333/3OP-4333/4OP-4333/5OP-4333/6OP-4333/7OP-4333/8OP-4333/9OP-4333/10OP-4333/11 |
Exhibit materials |