Finding Aid to the Norma Alarcón papers BANC MSS 2017/189
Lauren Lassleben and Marjorie Bryer
The Bancroft Library
2019
The Bancroft Library
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000
bancref@library.berkeley.edu
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
The Bancroft Library
Title: Norma Alarcón papers
Source:
Alarcón, Norma
Creator:
Alarcón, Norma
Identifier/Call Number: BANC MSS 2017/189
Physical Description:
12.6 Linear Feet
(9 cartons, 1 oversize box, 2 oversize folders)
Date (inclusive): 1966-2013
Abstract: The Norma Alarcón papers document her contributions to Chicana feminist literature, scholarship, pedagogy, and publishing,
as well as her interdisciplinary work in Ethnic and Women’s Studies. The collection includes biographical information and
personalia; correspondence; materials related to the Third Woman Press; writings; course materials; administrative files;
materials related to Alarcón's professional activities; artwork and posters; and audiovisual materials.
Language of Material: Collection materials are in English and Spanish.
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.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Accruals
No future additions are expected.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Norma Alarcón papers were given to The Bancroft Library in 2017 by Norma Alarcón.
Alternate Forms Available
There are no alternative forms of this collection.
Biography
Celebrated Chicana feminist scholar and publisher Norma Alarcón was born in Villa Frontera, Coahuila Mexico on November 30,
1943. Her family immigrated to the United States in 1955, lived briefly in San Antonio, Texas, and then settled in Chicago.
Alarcón received her B.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Indiana, specializing in Spanish literature. The topic of her 1983
dissertation was “Ninfomanía: El Discurso Feminista en la Obra de Rosario Castellanos.” Alarcón was the founder and publisher
of the influential Third Woman Press, which began as the journal “Third Woman” in 1979. The Press published major texts and
important writers in Chicana and Latina Studies, including Sandra Cisneros, Ana Castillo, Cherríe Moraga, and Gloria Anzaldúa.
Its more than 30 books and anthologies between 1984 and 2004 include the third edition of “This Bridge Called My Back: Writings
by Radical Women of Color.” Alarcón taught at Purdue University from 1983 to 1987 and at the University of California, Berkeley
from 1987 until her retirement in 2004. Alarcón taught courses in the Chicano, Ethnic Studies, Spanish, and Women's Studies
departments at Berkeley.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Access to audio-visual materials may be restricted due to technical limitations.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Norma Alarcón papers, BANC MSS 2017/189,The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
System of Arrangement
Arranged to the folder level.
Processing Information
Processed by Lauren Lassleben and Marjorie Bryer in 2019.
Related Collections
Norma Alarcón papers, University of California, Santa Barbara (CEMA 110)
Scope and Content Note
The Norma Alarcón papers document her contributions to Chicana feminist literature, scholarship, pedagogy, and publishing,
as well as her interdisciplinary work in Ethnic and Women’s Studies. The collection includes biographical and personal materials;
professional correspondence; materials related to the Third Woman Press, including the republication of “This Bridge Called
My Back”; drafts of many of Alarcón’s publications and conference presentations; course readers and records from the departments
of Chicano, Ethnic, and Women’s Studies at UC Berkeley; conference materials that demonstrate Alarcón’s impact on those fields;
art and posters; and audio and videotapes, including interviews with Ethnic Studies faculty members.
The collection is divided into nine series: Biographical Information and Personalia; Correspondence; Third Woman Press; Writings;
Course Materials; Administrative Materials; Professional Activities; Posters, Broadsides, and Artwork; and Audiovisual Materials.
Publication Rights
Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction
of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions,
privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond
that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be
commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
For additional information about the University of California, Berkeley Library's permissions policy please see: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/about/permissions-policies
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Faculty papers.
American literature -- Mexican American women authors.
American literature -- Mexican American authors -- History and criticism.
Third Woman Press.
Mexican American women -- Intellectual life.
Mexican American women in literature.
Mexican American lesbians.
Women of color.
Feminist theory.
Queer theory.
Postcolonialism.
Radicalism
Alarcón, Norma
Series 1.
Biographical Information and Personalia
circa 1972-2011
Physical Description: Carton 1; Carton 8, folders 27-28
Scope and Content Note
Includes curriculum vitaes, bio-bibliographies, an interview, photographs, address books, engagement calendars, notebooks,
and postcards. Please note that the notebooks and academic planners contain both personal and professional information.
Carton 1, Folder 1-4
Curriculum Vitae, Bio-Bibliographies, Data for CVs and Bio-Bibs
circa 1981-2006
Carton 1, Folder 5
“Norma Alarcón: At the Forefront of Chicana/Latina Feminist Literary Criticism,” Juanita Heredia, Dissertation Proposal
1996
Carton 1, Folder 6
Newspaper Clippings
1984-1999
Carton 1, Folder 8
Interview with Alarcón, Ramón Saldívar, Alicia Schmidt Camacho
1994
Carton 1, Folder 10-12
Photographs
1987-2004, undated
Carton 1, Folder 13-21
Address Books/Academic Planners/Engagement Calendars
circa 1983-2004
Carton 1, Folder 22-29
Notebooks, including Spain, and Notes for Gender and Globalization
circa 1983-2011, undated
Carton 8, Folder 27-28
Postcards, Note Cards, Bookmarks, and Liner Notes
circa 1970s-2005
Series 2.
Correspondence
1969-2013
Physical Description: Carton 2, folders 1-23; Carton 8, folders 29-32
Scope and Content Note
There is a small amount of personal mail, and outgoing letters, but the bulk is incoming professional correspondence, including
related materials. Correspondence can also be found in other series.
Carton 2, Folder 1
Anatole, Anton, and Steve Martinot
1997-2000
Carton 2, Folder 2
Anzaldúa, Gloria
1989-1999
Carton 2, Folder 3-4
Cisneros, Sandra, includes Vitae, Writings
1985-1994, 2013
Carton 8, Folder 29-32
Cisneros, Sandra – Binder
circa 1991-2009
Carton 2, Folder 5
Duke University Press/Ken Wissoker – "T(r)opographies of Hunger"
1995
Carton 2, Folder 7
Joysmith, Claire
1994-1997
Carton 2, Folder 9-10
Martinot, Steve, includes Article
1996-2000
Carton 2, Folder 11
Mesilla Valley Tumblewords Project (MVTP)
1996
Carton 2, Folder 12
Moraga, Cherríe
circa 1984-1992
Carton 2, Folder 13
“Signs” Discussion Group (Email)
1997
Carton 2, Folder 14
Umpierre, Luz María
circa 1987-1992
Carton 2, Folder 15-17
Personal Correspondence and Cards
circa 1979-2007
Carton 2, Folder 18-22
Professional Correspondence
1969-2013, undated
Carton 2, Folder 23
Professional Email
1997-2013
Series 3.
Third Woman Press
circa 1980-2013
Physical Description: Carton 2, folders 24-53; Carton 3, folder 1-29
Scope and Content Note
Includes administrative materials, correspondence, and materials related to Third Woman Press pubications.
Correspondence and Administrative Records
Carton 2, Folder 24
Agosín, Marjorie
circa 1992
Carton 2, Folder 25
Bergholz, Susan
1990-1992
Carton 2, Folder 26
Chicana Feminist Theory/Carla Trujillo
1993-1994
Carton 2, Folder 27
Curiel, Barbara Brinso
1988-1989
Carton 2, Folder 29
Fichter, Estrella
1996-1998
Carton 2, Folder 30
Latinas on Stage
circa 1994-1999
Carton 2, Folder 32
Peña, Terri de la
1994-1997
Carton 2, Folder 33
Woodruff, Joan Leslie
circa 1990-2001
Carton 2, Folder 34-37
Correspondence
1981-2005, undated
Carton 2, Folder 38-40
Correspondence and Related Materials, including Publishing Agreements, Writings
1981-2013, undated
Scope and Content Note
These records are primarily from Third Woman Press, but there may be materials related to other aspects of Alarcón's professional
career in these files.
Carton 2, Folder 41
Reviews and Articles re: Third Woman Press Publications and Third Woman Journal
circa 1980-1996
Carton 2, Folder 42-44
Public Relations, including Catalogs, Fundraisers, Postcards
circa 1981-2002
Carton 2, Folder 45-47
Administrative Records and Correspondence
1982-2002, undated
Carton 2, Folder 48
California Sales Tax and Seller's Permit
1989-1997
Carton 2, Folder 50
Third Woman Arts Project, including Articles of Incorporation
2001, undated
Carton 2, Folder 51
“Hoenaje a las veteranas: Healing Our Wounds through Third Woman Press”
circa 2004
Carton 2, Folder 52
Reading the Empire
2007, undated
Carton 2, Folder 53
"Dictee," by Theresa Hak Kyung Cha
circa 1993-1994
Carton 3, Folder 1-2
"The Third Wave: Feminist Perspectives on Racism"
circa 1988-1991
Carton 3, Folder 3-29
"This Bridge Called My Back" – Republication
1999-2002
Scope and Content Note
Includes correspondence, administrative and artwork files, contracts, editors' essays and dedications, and files re: the conference
and celebration, "Practicing Transgression: Radical Women of Color in the 21st Century." Artists represented are Ana Mendieta,
Marsha Gomez, Hulleah J. Tsinhnahjinnie, Yolanda Lopez, Betye Saar, Judy Baca, Theresa Cha, Nereida Garcia-Ferraz, Eva Garcia,
Liliana Wilson Grez, Ester Hernandez, Happy Hyder, Betty Kano, Amalia Mesa-Bains, Jaune Quick-To-See Smith, Faith Ringgold,
Fan Warren, Jean Weisinger, and Gloria Rodriguez.
Series 4.
Writings
circa 1966-2012
Physical Description: Carton 3, folders 3-68; Carton 4; Carton 5, folders 1-26
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by title or topic.
Scope and Content Note
Consists of articles, book chapters, book reviews, conference presentations, Alarcón's dissertation and related materials
(correspondence and transcripts of tapes), interviews conducted by Alarcón, notes, poetry, reprints, and talks. There are
many drafts and varied versions of the same works (sometimes with different titles). The notes in this series may also be
for course lectures. Interviewees include Ana Castillo, Barbara Brinson-Pineda, Pat Mora, Cherríe Moraga, Lorna D. Cervantes,
Gloria Anzaldúa, M.A., M.G., and I.Z.
Carton 3, Folder 3-68
A-L ("Anzaldúa’s Chronicles: Inscribing Gynetics"-"Latina Feminist Testimonios: Papelitos Guardados")
circa 1982-2007
Carton 4, Folder 1-65
L-W ("Latina Writers in the United States: Introduction”-“The Work of Armando Rascón,”)
circa 1966-2012
Carton 4, Folder 66-76
Notes
1985-1999, undated
Scope and Content Note
Notes re: writing, teaching, seminars, projects, and readings. Topics include "from Chiapas to Califas" (in Carton 4); Mary
Wollstonecraft; net discourse on women; Cortazar and Unamuno; Minority Discourse seminar; Chicana subjection; resistance;
Coyolxauhqui-Anzaldúa; environment – reinventing nature; Gayatri Spivak; academic and theoretical; and Chulas Fronteras (in
Carton 5). Most folders of notes were unlabeled, but when they were there, original titles were retained.
Carton 5, Folder 1-26
Notes
circa 1989-2001, undated
Series 5.
Course Materials
circa 1986-2003
Physical Description: Carton 5, folders 27-68; Carton 6, folders 1-17
Scope and Content Note
Includes background materials, email, lectures, notes, readers, and syllabi for UC Berkeley classes in Chicano Studies, English,
Ethnic Studies, Spanish, and Women's Studies. Topics include Chiapas; Chicana women writers; seminars on Mexico and Latin
America; race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality; Third World/Third Text/Third Space; modernity and postmodernity; and cultural
representations of gender.
Carton 5, Folder 27-64
Chicano Studies, English, Ethnic Studies, Spanish, and Women's Studies
1986-2006
Carton 5, Folder 65-68
Course Readers in Chicano Studies and Ethnic Studies
1987-1994
Carton 6, Folder 1-17
Course Readers in Ethnic Studies, Spanish, Women's Studies, and Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Studies (UGIS)
1990-2003, undated
Series 6.
Administrative Materials
1985-2005
Physical Description: Carton 6, folders 18-20; Carton 7, folders 1-29
Scope and Contents
Includes departmental files from Chicano Studies, Ethnic Studies, and Women's Studies, and files related to Alarcón's academic
career.
Carton 6, Folder 18-20
Chicano Studies, Departmental Files
circa 1990-2003
Carton 7, Folder 1-20
Ethnic Studies, Departmental Files
circa 1992-2003
Scope and Content Note
Includes colloquia; curricula; definitions; a Faculty Interview Project; materials related to meetings, the Ethnic Studies
Research Center, and strategic planning. Some materials are also related to Chicano, Chicana, and Latina Studies.
Carton 7, Folder 21-25
Women’s Studies, Departmental Files/Beatrice Bain Research Center
1991-2003
Carton 7, Folder 26
Personnel Correspondence – Purdue and University of California, Berkeley
1985-1988
Carton 7, Folder 27-29
Promotion/Retention, Academic Review/Promotion
1990-2005
Series 7.
Professional Activities
1984-2013
Physical Description: Carton 7, folders 30-43; Carton 8, folders 1-26
Arrangement
Arranged (roughly) chronologically.
Scope and Content Note
Includes materials related to conferences Alarcón was invited to speak at and to professional work she did outside the University
of California, Berkeley. Please note there is some overlap with Series 3, Writings.
Carton 7, Folder 30-32
Conference Programs (for Conferences where Alarcón Presented)
1984-2011, undated
Carton 7, Folder 33-34
Invited Papers
1986-2008, undated
Carton 7, Folder 35
National Institute of Chicana Writers
1986-1987
Carton 7, Folder 36
Different Voices Summer Institute
1987-1988
Carton 7, Folder 37-39
Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social (MALCS), including Conference
1988-2006
Carton 7, Folder 40
University of California Chicano/Latino Consortium (UCCLC)
1989
Carton 7, Folder 41-43
University of California Humanities Research Institute (UCHRI) – Irvine
1989-1998
Scope and Content Note
Includes materials re: Minority Discourse Seminar, Administering the Humanities/Disciplinary Forum, and the conferences "The
Chicano Writes: On Word and Film" and "Private Culture, Public Policy." (In Cartons 7 and 8)
Carton 8, Folder 1-3
University of California Humanities Research Institute (UCHRI) – Irvine
circa 1991-1998
Carton 8, Folder 4-5
Modern Language Association (MLA) Panel/Asilomar Conference
1990, 1993
Carton 8, Folder 6
Latina Feminist Comparative Research, West Coast Group
1994
Carton 8, Folder 7-8
Globalization and Culture Program/Globalization and Collective Action
1994, 1996
Carton 8, Folder 9-11
Ford Foundation Curriculum Grant
1996-1998
Scope and Content Note
Includes materials re: conferences on Gender and Globalization, International Studies, and the Center for the Study of Gender
and Globalization (Organized Research Units).
Carton 8, Folder 12
Grants, including Ford Foundation
1997-1999
Carton 8, Folder 13
Feminisms in Latin America
1996
Carton 8, Folder 14
Traces (Journal)
circa 1996-1997
Carton 8, Folder 15
Organized Research Units (ORU)
1997-1999
Carton 8, Folder 16-25
Conference Materials
1997-2002
Scope and Content Note
Conferences include: Making and Unmaking of Whiteness; Empowering Women of Color; Crossing Over: Third World Liberation Front
Strike; Performing Unnatural Acts – Critically Queering Racial Cultural Studies; Barcelona; The Color of Violence; Future
of Women’s Studies; Police and Prisons; and The Routes of Culture.
Carton 8, Folder 26
El Mundo Zurdo – Conference Honoring the Life and Work of Gloria Anzaldúa
2010-2013
oversize_folder 1A-2B, oversize_box 1
Series 8.
Posters, Broadsides and Artwork
1984-2003, undated
Physical Description: Oversize folders 1A, and 2B; oversize box 1
Scope and Content Note
Folder 1A includes posters for Ana Castillo Regent's Lecture and the "Oppositional Wetness: Mujeres Living Theory" conference
at UC Berkeley, 1997; “Canto Florida,” by Cherrie Moraga, with original drawing by Celia Herrera Rodriguez, 1998; "This Bridge
Called My Back," publication and conference posters, 2002-2003; “Protocolo de Verduras,” Lucha Corpi broadsides, undated;
and drawings of two nudes, undated.
Folder 2 B includes “Tejido de los Desaparacidos,” Ester Hernandez, 1984 (signed); "La Ofrenda II," Ester Hernandez, 1990
(signed and numbered); an anti-apartheid calendar, Malaquias Montoya, 1985 (signed); Voices of la Mujer: Contemporary Latina
Writers Festival, 1990; Noche de Estrellas, The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, 1992; “Mujer de Mucha Enigma,” Yreina Cervántez
poster – with message for Norma, numbered 2/5, 1999; and an unidentified painting.
Oversize Box 1 contains "The Blue Ladies," a reproduction of a fresco from Crete (original dates from approximately 1500 B.C.)
Carton 9
Series 9.
Audiovisual Materials
1981-1997, undated
Physical Description: Carton 9
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Access to audio-visual materials may be restricted due to technical limitations.
Scope and Content Note
Audiocassettes and VHS videotapes. Audiotapes include Lucha Corpi, [interview], 1991; Lisa Lowe/Norma Alarcón, 1992; Entrevista
Matilde Landeta, June 1991; Matilde Landeta -- Speak for Myself Conference, March 1992; Rosario Castellanos reads “El Trato
de las Corrientes Lit of Mex.,” undated; Spanish: Rosario Castellanos Talks on Writers & Lit, undated; Spanish 412 Lectures,
Dr. Castellanos, February-May 1967; Muestras Dialectales, Parts I-II, undated; Carlos Monsivás [LACMA] talk, "Art and Popular
Art": Mexico Splendors of 30 Centuries, November 3, 1991; Guillermo Gomez-Peña at Highways, Venice, CA, November 1991; Minority
Discourse I, with Gomez-Pena and [Fronnet], February 25, 1992; Minority Discourse I, with Clifford and Poster, February 11,
1992; Two Letters/Never Marry a Mexican, aired on KCRW, 1993; Sandra Cisneros, [interview?], San Antonio, Texas, 1991; Three
Poems of Sandra Cisneros, set by Geoffrey Wilcken, undated; Speaking for the Subject -- Stuart Hall, May 1989; Maria Limón,
August 1991; Chicana Lesbians: The Girls Our Mothers Warned Us About, interview on Women Hold Up Half the Sky, KALX, undated;
Lit Crit -- [Sonia/Diaza/Yvone] Me, August 1991; Ana Castillo/Lucha Corpi, April 18-19, 1986; Norma Alarcón/Anzaldúa, March
1992; History of Consciousness Meeting, October 1988; and Lucha Villa (Bola de Nieve), undated. Of note are the Ethnic Studies
Curriculum Faculty Interviews conducted by Juana María Rodríguez (with Margarita Melville, Ron Takaki, Cara Sue Kidwell, Terry
Wilson, Julia Curry Rodriguez, Mario Barrera, Ling-Chi Wang, Carolos Muños, Michael Omi, David Lloyd, and Elaine Kim), Spring
1993.
Videotapes include Americas, undated; Zoot Suit, 1981 [copy of feature film]; New World Border, 1997; Surviving Columbus,
undated; Watsonville on Strike, 1989 [copy of documentary]; interview – either with Norma Alarcón or Irum Shiekh, Summer 1999;
Private Face of the [Nation], undated; La Carpa, undated; "Guatelmalan Reflections," Rigoberta Menchú. talk at the Center
for Latin American Studies at UC Berkeley, April 2000; Shoot for the Contents, Trinh T, Minh-ha, 1991; and the following from
Canal 6 de Julio: Bienvenidos a Bordo: Convencion Nacional Democratica, August 1994; La Guerra de Chiapas, 1994; Abriendo
Surco la Situacion Indigena en Mexico, 1994; ACTEAL: estratagia de muerte, circa 1995-1997; and Chiapas, Diálogo bajo amenaza,
circa 1995-1997.