Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Tangren Alexander papers , 1916-2023
Overview of the Collection
- Cre
- Alexander, Jean Tangren, 1940-2021; Alexander, Marcella; Alexander, Jean Tangren, 1940-2021; Ni Aodagain, H.; Corinne, Tee, 1943-2006; Southern Oregon Women Writers' Group, Gourmet Eating Society and Chorus
- Title
- Tangren Alexander papers
- Dates
- 1916-2023 (inclusive)19162023
- Quantity
- 28.75 linear feet, (21 containers) : 16 record storage boxes; 2 flat boxes; 1 flip-top photo box; 1 photo box; 1 half-manuscript box
- Collection Number
- Coll 746
- Summary
- Tangren Alexander (1940-2021) was a lesbian feminist philosopher, professor, writer, and doll photographer. The papers include correspondence; writings; teaching materials; event, workshop, and conference materials; doll photography; personal papers; and works by others.
- Repository
-
University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives
UO Libraries--SCUA
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene OR
97403-1299
Telephone: 5413463068
spcarref@uoregon.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open to the public. Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room. Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time.
Access to the correspondence series folder "O'Sullivan, Sherry, 1988" is closed until 2063 due to the presence of student records of a third-party individual.
Access to the correspondence series folder ""Oswaldo," international foster child, 1971-1976" is closed until 2061 due to the presence of child welfare records.
Access to the correspondence series folder "Siegel, Thyme, 1988" is closed until 2063 due to the presence of student records of a third-party individual.
Access to the personal papers series folder ""Karen Dudenhoeffer interview of me," 1997" is closed until 2072 due to the presence of student records of a third-party individual.
- Additional Reference Guides
-
See the Current Collection Guide for detailed description and requesting options.
- Languages
- English
Historical NoteReturn to Top
Tangren Alexander (1940-2021) was a lesbian feminist philosopher, professor, writer, and doll photographer.
Dr. Jean Tangren Alexander was born October 22, 1940, in Medford, Oregon, and raised by her parents Chester and Jessie Fitch in Ashland, Oregon. She attended several colleges and received a B.A. in mathematics, an M.A. in philosophy from the University of Oregon, and became the first woman to receive a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Oregon in 1975. She was a professor of philosophy at Southern Oregon University from 1974 to 2006. She taught and developed a variety of courses, including cross-disciplinary courses in women's studies, such as Feminism & Philosophy and Women & Ethics. She was married to Southern Oregon University faculty colleague John Alexander, with whom she had a daughter, Marcella. The couple separated in the 1970s.
In 1976, Alexander came out as a lesbian and began a prolific writing career. She produced a voluminous amount of writing in a variety of forms, both published and unpublished. Her writing has been published in Teaching Philosophy; Hypatia: The Journal of Feminist Philosophy; Sinister Wisdom; WomanSpirit Magazine; The Encyclopedia of Women in World History; Adventures in Lesbian Philosophy, Claudia Card, ed.; and Our Lives: Lesbian Personal Writing, Frances Rooney, ed. Under the pseudonym "Pearl Time'sChild," she was the author of short stories in several of Tee Corrine's erotic anthologies. The actor Deborah Kerr was a lifelong muse for Alexander and was a frequent topic of her writing.
Alexander was active in the lesbian land movement community and the creative women's community in Southern Oregon. She was a co-founding member of the Southern Oregon Women Writers' Group, Gourmet Eating Society, and Chorus, which continues to this day.
Having been interested in dolls her entire life, Alexander spent much of her later years photographing dolls and using doll photography to portray feminist stories.
Alexander died at her home in Ashland, Oregon, on March 26, 2021.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The Tangren Alexander papers document Alexander's work as a lesbian feminist philosopher, professor, writer, and doll photographer. The papers include correspondence; writings; teaching materials; event, workshop, and conference materials; doll photography; personal papers; and works by others.
The correspondence series contains incoming and outgoing personal and professional correspondence. This series includes letters, printed emails, postcards, and greeting cards, as well as enclosed photographs, documents, and ephemera.
The writings series contains drafts, manuscripts, notes, mockups, publications, correspondence, and working files related to Alexander's literary works. This series includes book-length writings, article and short-story-length writings, poetry and music, notes and fragments, chronological files, and material about publishing.
The teaching material series contains course materials, Northwest Women's Studies Association directories, a poster, and office artifacts from Alexander's time as a philosophy and women's studies professor.
The events, workshops, and conferences series contains notes, writings, flyers, correspondence, and ephemera from workshops, conferences, readings, and other events that Alexander participated in or attended. This series includes drafts of Alexander's writings that were read or presented at events and gatherings.
The doll photography series contains photographic prints, slides, and negatives from doll photography projects. This series also includes albums, homemade books, scripts, notes, writings, and ephemera related to doll photography. A significant portion of the material is related to the "Selene" project.
The personal papers series contains material related to Alexander's personal life. This series includes biographical material, journals, student material, ephemera, and photographs.
The work by others series contains published and unpublished writings, art, and audiovisual materials collected by Alexander. This series includes Southern Oregon Women Writers' Group material, Tee Corinne material, and collected writings and clippings.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
| Description |
|---|
| Alexander (Tangren) papers |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Feminism
- Lesbian community--Oregon
- Lesbians' writings
- Lesbians--Oregon
- Philosophy--Study and teaching
- Women authors, American--20th century
- Women college teachers--United States
- dolls
Personal Names
- Kerr, Deborah, 1921-2007
Other Creators
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Personal Names
- Alexander, Jean Tangren, 1940-2021 (dnr)
- Alexander, Marcella (dnr)
- Ní Aódagaín, H. (dnr)
