Elizabeth Ann Fox-Genovese (May 28, 1941 – January 2, 2007) was an American historian best known for her works on women and society in the Antebellum South. A Marxist early on in her career, she later converted to Roman Catholicism and became a primary voice of the conservative women's movement. She was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2003.
Elizabeth Ann Fox was born in Boston, Massachusetts. She was the daughter of Cornell professor Edward Whiting Fox, a specialist in the history of modern Europe, and Elizabeth Mary (née Simon) Fox, whose brother was real estate mogul Robert Simon.[1] Her father was Protestant, of English, Scottish and Irish descent; her mother was Jewish, from a family that immigrated from Germany.[2] Elizabeth Fox studied at the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris in France and attended Bryn Mawr College. From Bryn Mawr College in 1963, she received a BA in French and history.[3] At Harvard University, she earned a Master's degree in history in 1966 and a PhD in 1974.
In 1969 she married fellow historian Eugene D. Genovese and changed her surname to Fox-Genovese. They collaborated on some historical works in the course of their careers and had a professional partnership.[4] In the 1970s they founded the journal Marxist Perspectives,[5] publishing the first issue in Spring 1978.[6] Described as "brilliant but short-lived", it was published into the early 1980s. In 2012, in a partnership with the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research, Dissent magazine announced plans to digitize issues of the journal and make them available online.[7]
In 1993 L. Virginia Gould, one of her former graduate students, named Fox-Genovese and Emory University as co-defendants in a sexual discrimination and harassment lawsuit. Emory settled the lawsuit out of court. Financial details were not released.[5]
Fox-Genovese grew up in a household of secular intellectuals who were respectful of Christianity, but nonbelieving. For most of her adult life, she considered herself Christian only "in the amorphous cultural sense of the word." Having "thoroughly imbibed materialist philosophy," she inhabited "a world that took it as a matter of faith that 'God is dead'." In 1995, however, Fox-Genovese publicly converted to Roman Catholicism, due in part to her deep unease about "moral relativism" (since she found "a world in which each followed his or her moral compass" neither rational nor viable). She said she was also reacting to the pride and self-centeredness that she had witnessed in the secularacademy.[9] Some observers regarded her reputation as a feminist as being at odds with her conversion, but she found it to be "wholly consistent."[8] She wrote, "Sad as it may seem, my experience with radical, upscale feminism only reinforced my growing mistrust of individual pride."[9]
Fox-Genovese died in 2007, aged 65, in Atlanta. She had lived with multiple sclerosis for 15 years. The following year, Eugene Genovese published a tribute to his wife, Miss Betsey: A Memoir of Marriage.[10]
Scholarshipedit
Fox-Genovese's academic interests changed from French history to the history of women in the United States before the American Civil War. Virginia Shadron, assistant dean at Emory, later said that Fox-Genovese's Within the Plantation Household (1988) cemented her reputation as a scholar of women in the Old South.[8] Contemporary reviews praised it; one described her work as bridging "the gap between the study of individual identity and the economic and social milieu."[11] Mechal Sobel of The New York Times wrote, "Elizabeth Fox-Genovese undertakes the enormous tasks of telling the life stories of the last generation of black and white women of the Old South, and of analyzing the meanings of these connected stories as a way of illuminating both Southern and women's history—tasks at which she succeeds brilliantly."[12]
This book received the following awards:
1988 C. Hugh Holman Award, Society for the Study of Southern Literature
1989 Julia Cherry Spruill Prize, Southern Association for Women Historians
1989 Outstanding Book Award, Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Bigotry and Human Rights in North America[12]
Fox-Genovese also wrote scholarly and popular works on feminism. Through her writings, she alienated many feminists but attracted many women who may have considered themselves conservative feminists. Princeton University history professor Sean Wilentz said, "She probably did more for the conservative women's movement than anyone... [Her] voice came from inside the academy and updated the ideas of the conservative women's movement. She was one of their most influential intellectual forces."[8] Fox-Genovese reportedly had no patience with the cultural feminist trend of viewing women and men as possessing completely different values, and she criticized the idea that women's natural instincts and experience of oppression gave them a superior capacity for justice and mercy.[13] For this, she had been labeled by Cathy Young as an "antifeminist".[13]
Feminism Without Illusions: A Critique of Individualism, University of North Carolina Press, 1991. ISBN978-0-8078-4372-7
"Feminism Is Not the Story of My Life": How Today's Feminist Elite Has Lost Touch with the Real Concerns of Women, Anchor reprint, 1996 ISBN978-0-385-46791-9
Marriage: The Dream that Refuses to Die, Wilmington, DE: ISI Books, 2008. ISBN978-1-933859-62-0
Slavery in White and Black: Class and Race in the Southern Slaveholders' New World Order, Cambridge University Press, 2008. ISBN978-0-521-89700-6 (with Eugene D. Genovese
History and Women, Culture and Faith: Selected Writings, University of South Carolina Press, 2011 (5 vols.)
Referencesedit
^Fox and Simon Family Papers, 1862–1991, UNC, 1862.
^"Elizabeth Fox-Genovese". National Endowment for the Humanities. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
^Tribute to Elizabeth Fox-Genovese, Chronicle of Higher Education.
^ abMargalit, Fox (January 7, 2007), "Elizabeth Fox-Genovese, historian, Is Dead at 65", The New York Times.
^Marxist Perspectives, Vol.1, No.1 July 14, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, The Brooklyn Institute for Social Research, accessed June 14, 2014.
^"'Marxist Perspectives' Revived", Dissent blog, April 18, 2012, accessed June 15, 2014.
^ abcdef"Elizabeth Fox-Genovese: Unorthodox scholar", The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, January 4, 2007.
^ abFox–Genovese, Elizabeth (April 2000). "A Conversion Story". First Things (102): 39–43. Retrieved May 11, 2009.
^Genovese, Eugene (2009), , Voices; Vol. XXIV, No. 2 (online ed.), WF‐F, archived from the original on June 24, 2010.
^David Weiman, Review: "'Within the Plantation Household: Black and White Women of the Old South', by Elizabeth Fox-Genovese", The Journal of Economic History, Vol. 50, No. 3 (Sep. 1990), pp. 759–61, Published by: Cambridge University Press, accessed June 16, 2014.
^ abWithin the Plantation Household August 22, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, University of North Carolina Press.
^ ab Cathy Young (January 8, 2007). "The Evolution of an Antifeminist". The Boston Globe. Retrieved April 18, 2008.
^Biography of Fox-Genovese September 10, 2006, at the Wayback Machine at the Women's Studies Department], Emory University.
Further readingedit
Steichen, Donna, ed. (2011), Conversos. 12 testimonios recientes (in Spanish), Madrid: Rialp, pp. 60–80 (traduction from English original.)
Genovese, Eugene D (2008), Miss Betsey: A Memoir of Marriage, Wilmington, DE, US: ISI Books, ISBN978-1-935191-01-8.
elizabeth, genovese, elizabeth, genovese, 1941, january, 2007, american, historian, best, known, works, women, society, antebellum, south, marxist, early, career, later, converted, roman, catholicism, became, primary, voice, conservative, women, movement, awar. Elizabeth Ann Fox Genovese May 28 1941 January 2 2007 was an American historian best known for her works on women and society in the Antebellum South A Marxist early on in her career she later converted to Roman Catholicism and became a primary voice of the conservative women s movement She was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2003 Elizabeth Fox GenoveseFox Genovese in 2003BornElizabeth Ann FoxMay 28 1941Boston Massachusetts USDiedJanuary 2 2007 2007 01 02 aged 65 Atlanta Georgia USAlma materBryn Mawr College BA Harvard University MA PhD Occupation s Historian writerSpouseEugene GenoveseFamilyRobert E Simon uncle Contents 1 Biography 2 Scholarship 3 Honors 4 Selected writings 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External linksBiography editElizabeth Ann Fox was born in Boston Massachusetts She was the daughter of Cornell professor Edward Whiting Fox a specialist in the history of modern Europe and Elizabeth Mary nee Simon Fox whose brother was real estate mogul Robert Simon 1 Her father was Protestant of English Scottish and Irish descent her mother was Jewish from a family that immigrated from Germany 2 Elizabeth Fox studied at the Institut d Etudes Politiques de Paris in France and attended Bryn Mawr College From Bryn Mawr College in 1963 she received a BA in French and history 3 At Harvard University she earned a Master s degree in history in 1966 and a PhD in 1974 In 1969 she married fellow historian Eugene D Genovese and changed her surname to Fox Genovese They collaborated on some historical works in the course of their careers and had a professional partnership 4 In the 1970s they founded the journal Marxist Perspectives 5 publishing the first issue in Spring 1978 6 Described as brilliant but short lived it was published into the early 1980s In 2012 in a partnership with the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research Dissent magazine announced plans to digitize issues of the journal and make them available online 7 After completing her PhD Fox first taught at Binghamton University and The University of Rochester In 1986 she was recruited as founding director for the Institute for Women s Studies at Emory University At the Institute she served as director and began the first doctoral program in Women s Studies in the US 8 she personally directed thirty two doctoral dissertations She also taught history as the Eleonore Raoul Professor of the Humanities 8 In 1993 L Virginia Gould one of her former graduate students named Fox Genovese and Emory University as co defendants in a sexual discrimination and harassment lawsuit Emory settled the lawsuit out of court Financial details were not released 5 Fox Genovese grew up in a household of secular intellectuals who were respectful of Christianity but nonbelieving For most of her adult life she considered herself Christian only in the amorphous cultural sense of the word Having thoroughly imbibed materialist philosophy she inhabited a world that took it as a matter of faith that God is dead In 1995 however Fox Genovese publicly converted to Roman Catholicism due in part to her deep unease about moral relativism since she found a world in which each followed his or her moral compass neither rational nor viable She said she was also reacting to the pride and self centeredness that she had witnessed in the secular academy 9 Some observers regarded her reputation as a feminist as being at odds with her conversion but she found it to be wholly consistent 8 She wrote Sad as it may seem my experience with radical upscale feminism only reinforced my growing mistrust of individual pride 9 Fox Genovese died in 2007 aged 65 in Atlanta She had lived with multiple sclerosis for 15 years The following year Eugene Genovese published a tribute to his wife Miss Betsey A Memoir of Marriage 10 Scholarship editFox Genovese s academic interests changed from French history to the history of women in the United States before the American Civil War Virginia Shadron assistant dean at Emory later said that Fox Genovese s Within the Plantation Household 1988 cemented her reputation as a scholar of women in the Old South 8 Contemporary reviews praised it one described her work as bridging the gap between the study of individual identity and the economic and social milieu 11 Mechal Sobel of The New York Times wrote Elizabeth Fox Genovese undertakes the enormous tasks of telling the life stories of the last generation of black and white women of the Old South and of analyzing the meanings of these connected stories as a way of illuminating both Southern and women s history tasks at which she succeeds brilliantly 12 This book received the following awards 1988 C Hugh Holman Award Society for the Study of Southern Literature 1989 Julia Cherry Spruill Prize Southern Association for Women Historians 1989 Outstanding Book Award Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Bigotry and Human Rights in North America 12 Fox Genovese also wrote scholarly and popular works on feminism Through her writings she alienated many feminists but attracted many women who may have considered themselves conservative feminists Princeton University history professor Sean Wilentz said She probably did more for the conservative women s movement than anyone Her voice came from inside the academy and updated the ideas of the conservative women s movement She was one of their most influential intellectual forces 8 Fox Genovese reportedly had no patience with the cultural feminist trend of viewing women and men as possessing completely different values and she criticized the idea that women s natural instincts and experience of oppression gave them a superior capacity for justice and mercy 13 For this she had been labeled by Cathy Young as an antifeminist 13 Honors edit2003 National Humanities Medal 8 Cardinal Wright Award from the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars Doctor of Letters from Millsaps College C Hugh Holman Prize from the Society for Southern Literature ACLS amp Ford Foundation Fellowship 14 Selected writings editThe Origins of Physiocracy Economic Revolution and Social Order in Eighteenth century France Ithaca Cornell University Press 1976 ISBN 978 0 8014 1006 2 Fruits of Merchant Capital Slavery and Bourgeois Property in the Rise and Expansion of Capitalism New York York Oxford University Press 1983 ISBN 978 0 19 503157 7 with Eugene D Genovese Within the Plantation Household Black and White Women of the Old South series on Gender and American Culture Chapel Hill NC University of North Carolina Press 1988 ISBN 978 0 8078 4232 4 Feminism Without Illusions A Critique of Individualism University of North Carolina Press 1991 ISBN 978 0 8078 4372 7 Feminism Is Not the Story of My Life How Today s Feminist Elite Has Lost Touch with the Real Concerns of Women Anchor reprint 1996 ISBN 978 0 385 46791 9 The Mind of the Master Class History and Faith in the Southern Slaveholders Worldview Cambridge University Press 2005 ISBN 978 0 521 61562 4 with Eugene D Genovese Posthumous publicationsMarriage The Dream that Refuses to Die Wilmington DE ISI Books 2008 ISBN 978 1 933859 62 0 Slavery in White and Black Class and Race in the Southern Slaveholders New World Order Cambridge University Press 2008 ISBN 978 0 521 89700 6 with Eugene D Genovese History and Women Culture and Faith Selected Writings University of South Carolina Press 2011 5 vols References edit Fox and Simon Family Papers 1862 1991 UNC 1862 Douglas Ambrose Christendom Review 1 2 Elizabeth Fox Genovese National Endowment for the Humanities Retrieved May 13 2022 Tribute to Elizabeth Fox Genovese Chronicle of Higher Education a b Margalit Fox January 7 2007 Elizabeth Fox Genovese historian Is Dead at 65 The New York Times Marxist Perspectives Vol 1 No 1 Archived July 14 2014 at the Wayback Machine The Brooklyn Institute for Social Research accessed June 14 2014 Marxist Perspectives Revived Dissent blog April 18 2012 accessed June 15 2014 a b c d e f Elizabeth Fox Genovese Unorthodox scholar The Atlanta Journal Constitution January 4 2007 a b Fox Genovese Elizabeth April 2000 A Conversion Story First Things 102 39 43 Retrieved May 11 2009 Genovese Eugene 2009 3 Miss Betsey A Memoir of Marriage Nature and Grace Voices Vol XXIV No 2 online ed WF F archived from the original on June 24 2010 David Weiman Review Within the Plantation Household Black and White Women of the Old South by Elizabeth Fox Genovese The Journal of Economic History Vol 50 No 3 Sep 1990 pp 759 61 Published by Cambridge University Press accessed June 16 2014 a b Within the Plantation Household Archived August 22 2014 at the Wayback Machine University of North Carolina Press a b Cathy Young January 8 2007 The Evolution of an Antifeminist The Boston Globe Retrieved April 18 2008 Biography of Fox Genovese Archived September 10 2006 at the Wayback Machine at the Women s Studies Department Emory University Further reading editSteichen Donna ed 2011 Conversos 12 testimonios recientes in Spanish Madrid Rialp pp 60 80 traduction from English original Genovese Eugene D 2008 Miss Betsey A Memoir of Marriage Wilmington DE US ISI Books ISBN 978 1 935191 01 8 Raney David Elizabeth Fox Genovese 1941 2007 Fall 2007 Emory Quadrangle Atlanta Georgia 4 5 External links editInventory of the Elizabeth Fox Genovese Papers 1966 2007 Chapel Hill NC USA UNC Fox Genovese biography Women s Studies Department at Emory archived from the original on September 10 2006 retrieved January 5 2007 Elizabeth Fox Genovese National Review obituary archived from the original on January 15 2007 Appearances on C SPAN Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Elizabeth Fox Genovese amp oldid 1174968766, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
