Guide to the Mieke Bal papers, 1957-2011

John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts
Box A
Brown University
Providence, RI 02912
Telephone: Manuscripts: 401-863-3723; University Archives: 401-863-2148
Email: Manuscripts: hay@brown.edu; University Archives: archives@brown.edu

Published in 2016

Collection Overview

Title:	Mieke Bal papers
Date range:	1957-2011
Creator:	Bal, Mieke, 1946-
Extent:	16.25 Linear feet
Abstract:	Papers of the cultural theorist, critic, and video artist, Mieke Bal. Items include correspondence, conference material, teaching material, artworks and related material, published writings, research, and electronic records.
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts
Collection number:	Ms.2016.014

Scope & content

This collection is mainly comprised of the professional papers of Mieke Bal, cultural theorist, critic, and video artist. Bal’s files include biographical information, correspondence, conference readers, teaching materials, drafts of manuscripts and other writings, published journal articles and newspaper columns, research material, and electronic records. The collection also includes files documenting Bal's visual art project's including "Landscapes of madness," "Madame B," "Mere Folle," and "Nothing is Missing." Items include scripts, publicity, and posters, among other items. Mike Bal's papers may be particulaly useful for scholars of visual culture and cultural theory, as well as film criticism.

The Mieke Bal papers are arranged into nine series.

Series 1, Biographical, contains a small set of files about Mieke Bal. Materials include interviews with Mieke Bal, awards and honors, and diplomas. Files are arranged alphabetically by record type then subject. Original folder titles are listed in quotation marks while the remaining folder titles were created by the procesor.

Series 2, Correspondence, contains letters to and by Mieke Bal. Topics include commitments, professional contracts, and correspondence with publishers. Files are arranged alphabetically by subject. Original folder titles are written in quotation marks while the remaining folder titles were created by the procesor.

Series 3, Conferences, contains readers and booklets, primarily from various Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis conferences. Topics include culture, memory, and identity. Files are arranged chronologically and then alphabetically by conference name. Original folder titles are written in quotation marks while the remaining folder titles were created by the procesor.

Series 4, Teaching, contains lectures and readers. Topics include migratory aesthetics, narrative theory, and cultural analysis. Files are arranged alphabetically by course. Original folder titles are written in quotation marks while the remaining folder titles were created by the procesor.

Series 5, Artworks, contains exhibition guides, press packets, fliers, and posters. Topics include "Landscapes of madness," "Madame B," "Mere Folle," and "Nothing is Missing." Files are arranged alphabetically by project. Original folder titles are written in quotation marks while the remaining folder titles were created by the procesor.

Series 6, Writings and Related, contains book reviews by and about Mieke Bal, drafts, and journal articles, newspaper columns, and lectures, published by Mieke Bal. Topics include "endless andness," "thinking in film," and narratology. Files are arranged alphabetically by record type and then topic. Original folder titles are written in quotation marks while the remaining folder titles were created by the procesor.

Series 7, Research, contains annotated readings and articles, and newspaper and magazine clippings. Topics include museum studies, pop culture politics, and visual culture. Files are arranged alphabetically by topic and then chronologically. Original folder titles are written in quotation marks while the remaining folder titles were created by the procesor.

Series 8, Electronic Records, contains DVDs, CDs, and MiniDV cassettes. Topics include Calcutta, Moscow, and Vera. Items are arranged into two boxes, A and B, then alphabetically by title on carrier where available.

Series 9, Oversize Material, contains oversize material pulled from throughout the collection. Items include exhibit and film posters, diplomas, and fliers about Mieke Bal, her artworks, and scholarship. Files are arranged in one catch-all oversize folder housed at the John Hay Library at Brown University.

Access Points

Subject Organizations

• Feminist Theory Archive.
• Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women.

Subject Topics

• Feminism and art
• Feminist theory
• Film criticism
• Video art

Occupations

• Women artists
• Women motion picture producers and directors

Subject Topics

• Race, Ethnicity and Gender

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in 9 series.

• Series 1. Biographical- arranged alphabetically by record type
• Series 2. Correspondence - arranged alphabetically by topic
• Series 3. Conferences - arranged chronologically and then alphabetically by name of conference
• Series 4. Teaching - arranged alphabetically by course
• Series 5. Artworks - arranged alphabetically by art project
• Series 6. Writings and Related- arranged alphabetically by record type and then chronologically
• Series 7. Research- arranged alphabetically by topic and then chronologically
• Series 8. Electronic Records- arranged alphabetically by title on carrier
• Series 9. Oversize Material- arranged in one catch-all oversize folder

Biographical/Historical note

Mieke Bal is a renown cultural theorist, critic, and video artist. She is Professor Emeritus in Literary Theory at the University of Amsterdam. Previously, she was also Academy Professor of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences and co-founder of the Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis at the University of Amsterdam. During her teaching career, Bal taught courses on Theory and Criticism as well as World Memory, Effect and Trauma, and Sound.

Mieke Bal's research interests range from classical and biblical antiquity, 17th century to contemporary art and modern literature, feminism, migratory culture, mental illness, the critique of capitalism, and rationalism. Her book, Narratology, continues to be reprinted. Her many other books include a quartet on political art: In Medias Red: Inside Nalini Malani’s Shadow Plays (2016), Endless Andness (on abstraction, 2013), Thinking in Film (on video installation, 2013), and Of What One Cannot Speak (on sculpture, 2010). "A Mieke Bal Reader" (2006) samples her interdisciplinary work.

Mike Bal's experimental video documentaries on issues of migration and identity have been internationally exhibited. Her video project, Madame B, with Michelle Williams Gamaker, offers an artistic critique of capitalism and neo-liberalism. There was also a five-screen spin-off called Precarity. In April 2016, the premiere of a 5-channel installation and a feature film on the mis-encounter between Rene Descartes and Queen Kristina of Sweden took place in Krakow, Poland.

Mieke Bal lectures widely, including at the Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women at Brown University. She presented a talk and film screening, "Thinking in Film: Doubt as Reason" on December 1, 2016.

(Biography from www.miekebal.org)

Access & Use

Access to the collection:	There are no restrictions on access, except that the collection can only be seen by prior appointment. Some materials may be stored off-site and cannot be produced on the same day on which they are requested.
Use of the materials:	All researchers seeking to publish materials from the collections of the John Hay Library are requested to complete a Notice of Intent to Publish, available on the John Hay Library website or by request, prior to reproducing, quoting, or otherwise publishing any portion or extract from this collection. Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. It is up to the researcher to determine the owners of the literary rights and to obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Preferred citation:	Mieke Bal papers, Ms.2016.014, Feminist Theory Archive, Brown University Library.
Contact information:	John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts Box A Brown University Providence, RI 02912 Telephone: Manuscripts: 401-863-3723; University Archives: 401-863-2148 Email: Manuscripts: hay@brown.edu; University Archives: archives@brown.edu

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	Gift of Mieke Bal in 2016.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Author:	Finding aid prepared by Amanda Knox, Marcus Mamourian, Isabel Martin, and Mary Murphy, on behalf of the Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women
Encoding:	This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2016-10-24
Descriptive rules:	Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)
Sponsor:	Curatorial work and processing provided by the Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women on behalf of the Feminist Theory Archive, Brown University Library.

Additional Information

Inventory

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