This collection has access restrictions. For details, please see the restrictions.
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.
Funding from the Watson-Brown Foundation, Inc., supported the processing of this collection and the encoding of this finding aid.
Size | 33.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 18,400 items) |
Abstract | Elizabeth Fox-Genovese was a white 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, a white 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. |
Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
Language | English French |
Processed by: Library Staff, October 2001 and March 2002; Amanda Ross, December 2007
Encoded by: Amanda Ross, December 2007
Revisions by: Anne Wells, Andrew Crook, and Nancy Kaiser, August 2019
Funding from the Watson-Brown Foundation, Inc., supported the processing of this collection and the encoding of this finding aid.
Since August 2017, we have added ethnic and racial identities for individuals and families represented in collections. To determine identity, we rely on self-identification; other information supplied to the repository by collection creators or sources; public records, press accounts, and secondary sources; and contextual information in the collection materials. Omissions of ethnic and racial identities in finding aids created or updated after August 2017 are an indication of insufficient information to make an educated guess or an individual's preference for identity information to be excluded from description. When we have misidentified, please let us know at wilsonlibrary@unc.edu.
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.
Elizabeth Fox-Genovese was a white 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 Eugene Genovese, a white historian and author.
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.
Back to TopCorrespondence, writings, legal papers, diaries and planners, medical records, financial papers, photographs, data disks, audio recordings, 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 audio recordings on microcassette 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.
Back to TopArrangement: 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.
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.
Emails, January 1994-June 1995 |
|
Box 10 |
Emails, July-December 1995 |
Box 11 |
Emails, January 1996-January 1997 |
Folder 147-160
Folder 147Folder 148Folder 149Folder 150Folder 151Folder 152Folder 153Folder 154Folder 155Folder 156Folder 157Folder 158Folder 159Folder 160 |
Emails, March 1997-2005 |
Folder 161 |
Emails from Renee Dye, September-December 1995 |
Folder 162 |
Emails from D'Ann Campbell and Liz Campbell, January-March 1996 |
Folder 163-165
Folder 163Folder 164Folder 165 |
Emails from Edward W. Fox Jr., April 1995-March 1996 |
Folder 166 |
Emails from students, January-April 1996 |
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.
Arrangement: chronological.
Folder 167 |
"Scholastic Aesthetics and the Gothic Catherdral", 1961Acquisitions Information: Accession 103671 |
College Writings, 1963-1964 |
|
Folder 168 |
Report: Sicilian Historical Association, December 1969 |
Folder 169-171
Folder 169Folder 170Folder 171 |
"Memoires de Pierre" |
Folder 172-174
Folder 172Folder 173Folder 174 |
1st Quesnay/Mirabeau Manuscript |
Folder 175-177
Folder 175Folder 176Folder 177 |
2nd Quesnay/Mirabeau Manuscript |
Folder 178-179
Folder 178Folder 179 |
Writing, Untitled |
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Correspondence with publishers and contracts, comments and reviews by Elizabeth Fox-Genovese, writings by others, media coverage, and materials related to research.
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.
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
Box 27Box 28Box 29 |
Journal of the Historical Society, 1998-2005 |
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
Box 30Box 31Box 32Box 33Box 34Box 35 |
Instruction and Related Materials |
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.
Elizabeth Fox-Genovese's depositions, her research notes, correspondence from defense attorneys, and portions of others' testimony.
Box 43 |
Elizabeth Fox-Genovese's Deposition |
Elizabeth Fox-Genovese's Notes |
|
Related Materials |
|
Testimony |
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.
Answering and Opening Brief of Appellees/Cross Appellants |
|
Correspondence, 1994-1995 |
|
Box 44 |
Lynn Munson |
McGuire Woods |
|
Trial Transcript |
Arrangement: alphabetical.
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 audio recordings 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 audio recordings on microcassette created by and for Elizabeth Fox-Genovese possibly in the course of research and presentations.
Box 44 |
1958 Concord Academy Yearbook |
1961 Bryn Mawr Yearbook |
|
1963 Bryn Mawr Yearbook |
|
Diary, 1966-1969 |
|
Box 45 |
Diary, 1972 |
Diary, 1974-1977 |
|
Psychoanalysis Notebook, undated |
|
Daybooks, October 1995-May 1996 |
|
Daybooks, October 1995-May 1996 |
|
Box 46 |
Daily Planners, 1986-1992 |
Box 47 |
Daily Planners, 1992-1995 |
Box 48 |
Daily Planners, 1996 |
Phone Message Books, undated |
|
Box 49 |
CIGNA, 2000 |
Dental Treatment |
|
Emory Spine Center |
|
Medical Benefits |
|
Medical Bills |
|
Medical Referrals, Spring 2000 |
|
Medications/Prescriptions |
|
Pathways/Betaseron |
|
Shepherd Spinal Center |
|
Box 50 |
Barking Hound Village |
Flexible Spending Emory |
|
Marriot Rewards |
|
Preswick Glen, Inc. |
|
Box 53-54
Box 53Box 54 |
3-1/2" and 5-1/4" floppy disks |
Audiocassette C-4851/1 |
Delores StaffordMicrocassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/2 |
Delores StaffordMicrocassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/3 |
Delores StaffordMicrocassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/4 |
Delores StaffordMicrocassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/5 |
Delores StaffordMicrocassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/6 |
Delores StaffordMicrocassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/7 |
Deborah CoclawsMicrocassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/8 |
Delores Stafford; Deborah CoclawsMicrocassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/9 |
Ann ChirhartMicrocassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/10 |
Ann WilsonMicrocassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/11 |
Ann; JamieMicrocassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/12 |
Class; Heather et alMicrocassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/13 |
KimberlyMicrocassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/14 |
Laura VerklinMicrocassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/15 |
Linda CallowayMicrocassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/16 |
Nancy BarrMicrocassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/17 |
Stacey and NaomiMicrocassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/18 |
RMF; StephanieMicrocassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/19 |
DyMicrocassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/20 |
D, 24 April 1993Microcassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/21 |
AD; JFMicrocassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/22 |
GC; CLMicrocassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/23 |
BCMicrocassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/24 |
AM; African WomenMicrocassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/25 |
AH, Mau Inst.Microcassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/26 |
Family, A.M., July 1992Microcassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/27 |
Family, July 1992Microcassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/28 |
Fem Theory ClassMicrocassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/29 |
Fem TheoryMicrocassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/30 |
Nan's Class; GED Class, 22 July 1992Microcassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/31 |
GeraldoMicrocassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/32 |
Texas IAF: tape 1 of 2Microcassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/33 |
Texas IAF: tape 2 of 2Microcassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/34 |
St. Ann's: tape 1 of 3Microcassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/35 |
St. Ann's: tape 2 of 3Microcassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/36 |
St. Ann's: tape 3 of 3Microcassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/37 |
SGA; KMMicrocassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/38 |
Heather, Elaine, Cathy, 21 July 1992Microcassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/39 |
WheatonMicrocassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/40 |
SDMicrocassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/41 |
BD; CSMicrocassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/42 |
JamieMicrocassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/43 |
KimberlyMicrocassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/44 |
[unidentified audio recording]Microcassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/45 |
[unidentified audio recording]Microcassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/46 |
[unidentified audio recording]Microcassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/47 |
[unidentified audio recording]Microcassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/48 |
[unidentified audio recording]Microcassette |
Audiocassette C-4851/49 |
[unidentified audio recording]Microcassette |
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.