Collection Summary
Information for Researchers
Administrative Information
Biographical Information
Scope and Content of Collection
Collection Summary
Collection Title: Barbara Christian papers
Date (inclusive): 1967-2000
Collection Number: BANC MSS 2003/199c
Creators :
Christian, Barbara, 1943-2000
Extent:
Number of containers: 12 cartons
Linear feet: 15
Repository: The Bancroft Library
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California, 94720-6000
Phone: (510) 642-6481
Fax: (510) 642-7589
Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/
Abstract: The Barbara Christian Papers, 1967-2000, document Christian's academic career at U.C.
Berkeley. The collection is composed mainly of reprinted articles and bibliographies, research and course
materials, correspondence, and original manuscripts with notes and related materials. Reprinted articles and
research materials include magazine and newspaper articles as well as academic publications. Course materials
are in the form of handwritten notes, syllabi and other class handouts. Correspondence includes letters from
students, colleagues, and authors including Alice Walker.
Languages Represented: Collection materials are in English
Physical Location: Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice
may be required for use. For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the
Library's online catalog.
Information for Researchers
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in
writing to the Head of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 94720-6000.
Consent is given on behalf of The Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to
include or imply permission from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright
owner. See:
http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html .
Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is
restricted to research and educational purposes.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Barbara Christian Papers, BANC MSS 2003/199c, The Bancroft Library, University of
California, Berkeley.
Alternate Forms Available
There are no alternate forms of this collection.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public
access catalog.
Christian, Barbara, 1943-2000
Faculty papers
African American women authors--20th century
Christian, Barbara, 1943- Barbara Christian papers
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
The Barbara Christian Papers were given to The Bancroft Library by Najuma Henderson on January 29, 2002.
Accruals
No additions are expected.
System of Arrangement
Arranged to the container level.
Processing Information
Processed by Lucy Allen in 2007.
Biographical Information
Barbara Christian was born on December 12, 1943 in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. She earned her Ph.D. in English
Literature from Columbia University in 1970; a year later, she became an assistant professor at U.C. Berkeley.
She was a prominent figure in establishing the African American Studies Department, and in 1978 she became the
first African American woman at Berkeley to receive tenure. In 1986, she became a full professor and eventually
received the Distinguished Teaching Award in 1991. She is best known for
Black Feminist
Criticism
and her study,
Black Women Novelists: The Development of a
Tradition
. She was one of the first academic professors to focus attention on Toni Morrison and Alice
Walker, among other black women novelists and writers. She edited portions of the
Norton
Anthology of African American Literature
from the 1970s to the 1990s. The MELUS Award and the American
Book Award were among the many honors she received during her lifetime. She taught at U.C. Berkeley from 1972
until her death on June 25, 2000. She is survived by her daughter, Najuma I. Henderson.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Barbara Christian Papers, 1967-2000, document Christian's academic career at U.C. Berkeley. The collection
is composed mainly of reprinted articles and bibliographies, research and course materials, original manuscripts
with notes and related materials and some correspondence. Reprinted articles and research materials include
magazine and newspaper articles as well as academic publications. Course materials are in the form of
handwritten notes, syllabi and other class handouts. Correspondence includes letters from students, colleagues,
and authors including Alice Walker.
The collection is arranged according to the order in which it was received. Barbara Christian's Files are
divided into older and newer files, and though there is much overlap between the date spans of these two series,
they were arranged in this way to preserve the original order. Professional Files are arranged in the order
received. Original folder titles were used unless folders were untitled.