Alice Wiser Papers
Scope and Contents
The Alice Wiser papers biographical material about Alice Wiser, her correspondence with peace movement colleagues, and some of her writings. The collection also includes material about Wiser's work in the peace and women's movement such as, flyers, manuscripts, card file, memorabilia, newspaper clippings, periodicals, reference files, audiocassettes, slides, computer diskettes, photographs, and posters. The collection also includes information about Alice Wiser's work in organizing the the Peace Tent at the second United Nations Conference on Women, held in Nairobi, Kenya in 1985. Wiser also worked on the Feminist International for Peace and Food, and Women's Peace Caravans which travelled throughout several countries. The collection includes audio tapes and transcripts of interviews with women around the world in the mid to late 1980s on women's rights, peace, and politics.
Dates
- Creation: 1976-1991
Creator
- Wiser, Alice (Person)
Language of Materials
Materials are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research use.
Physical Access Note
All or part of this collection is stored off-site. Contact Swarthmore College Peace Collection staff at peacecollection@swarthmore.edu at least two weeks in advance of visit to request boxes.
Conditions Governing Use
None.
Biographical Note
Alice Wiser was a Quaker and had trained as a social worker and psychological counselor. She dedicated the last ten to fifteen years of her life to both peace and women's rights. Wiser was instrumental in organizing the peace tent for the second United Nations Conference on Women held in Nairobi, Kenya in 1985. After the conference Wiser continued to organize around these issues, traveling around the world to interview women and talk about peace. Wiser received her doctorate from the University of London in 1990. Her thesis "Women as peacemakers : a social-psychological approach," is available at the University of London. Wiser died from breast cancer in 1995.
Extent
7.5 linear ft. (7.5 linear ft.)
Abstract
Alice Wiser was a Quaker and had trained as a social worker and psychological counselor. She dedicated the last ten to fifteen years of her life to both peace and women's rights. Wiser was instrumental in organizing the peace tent for the second United Nations Conference on Women held in Nairobi, Kenya in 1985. After the conference Wiser continued to organize around these issues, traveling around the world to interview women and talk about peace. Wiser died from breast cancer in 1995.
Arrangement
This collection is only partially processed. The files in the Alice Wiser Papers are organized in the following order: Wiser biographical material, correspondence, and writings; Wiser's involvement in various peace movement actions and events; files on the Peace Tent at the second United Nations Conference on Women, held in Nairobi, Kenya in 1985, transcripts of women speaking at the Peace Tent, reference and background material about these transcripts; various miscellaneous documents and reference files on Wiser's interests in peace and women's rights. Various photographs, audio visual items, and memorabila have been removed to appropriate SCPC collectinos.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Alice Wiser, 1994, 2001 [acc. 94A-121, acc. 01A-033 ].
Separated Materials
Audio cassettes removed to the Audiovisual Collection:
- 354.1-354.29: Peace Tent speakers
- 357: Women World Congress for a Healthy Planet
Photographs removed to the Photograph Collection:
- Four 4 3/4 x 3 1/4 color photographs of Alice Wiser with friends (1982)
- One 5 x 7 and one 8 x 10 black and white photograph of Alice Wiser an Gertrud Kauderer in Wyoming (1986)
- Nine 3 1/2 x 5 1/4 color photographs, unidentified
- One 8 1/2 x 10 1/2 painting of Alice Wiser (1987)
- Seven oversize black and white photographs: US/USSR Anti-Nuclear protests (mid 1980s)
Slides removed to the Photograph Collection:
- Great Peace March
- Women: All One Nation
- Peace Tent slide show (United Nations Conference on Women held in Nairobi, Kenya, 1985)
Items removed to the Oversize Memorabilia Collection:
- Banner: International Women’s Day
- Scrapbook: What’s your vision of Peace
Computer disks and audio cassettes removed to the Audiovisual Collection:
- 22 Disks and 29 audio cassettes: Peace Tent transcriptions (United Nations Conference on Women held in Nairobi, Kenya, 1985)
Legal Status
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendents, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Processing Information
This collection is only partially processed, Anne Yoder; the 2008 version of this finding aid was created by Wendy E. Chmielewski.
Subject
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Revision Statements
- 2018: The file list was standardized in Summer 2017 by Min Cheng in preparation for importing into ArchivesSpace. Elisabeth Miller added the notes in Fall 2017.
Find It at the Library
Most of the materials in this catalog are not digitized and can only be accessed in person. Please see our website for more information about visiting or requesting repoductions from Swarthmore College Peace Collection Library
500 College Avenue
Swarthmore 19081-1399 USA US
610-328-8557
610-328-8544 (Fax)
peacecollection@swarthmore.edu
