Item I1 - Interview with Helen Levine

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Interview with Helen Levine

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  • Sound recordings (electronic)

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Nancy Adamson (interviewer); Helen Levine (interviewee)

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CA ON0034 10-118-S6-SS2-F42-I1

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1 sound recording (wav) : 1 hr., 06 min., 53 sec.

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(1951)

Biographical history

Nancy Lee Adamson (born 1951 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA) was a professor, university administrator, and a founding member of the Canadian Women's Movement Archive Collective and its predecessor, the Women's Information Centre (WIC).

Nancy Adamson is a feminist activist. She has been involved in university administration for more than 20 years and has been a lecturer since 1979. Her area of expertise was gender issues, women’s studies, and confronting sexual harassment in the workplace. Nancy Adamson is co-author of “Feminist Organizing for Change: The Contemporary Women's Movement in Canada”, published in 1989, an in-depth analysis of the contemporary Canadian feminist movement.

Nancy Adamson holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Mount Holyoke College, a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from the University of Toronto, a master’s in history from Emory University, and a PhD in History (1983) from the University of Toronto. At the University of Toronto, she established the Sexual Harassment Office and worked as a counsellor. From 1991 to 2000 she worked at Carleton University (Ottawa, Ont.) in the Status of Women Office and Equity Services.

Nancy Adamson is a founding member of the Galen University in Belize, which opened its doors in 2003. She served as Provost of the University, professor, CEO, vice president and president.
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Nancy Lee Adamson (née en 1951 à Atlanta, Géorgie, États-Unis) était professeure, administratrice d'université et membre fondatrice du Collectif des Archives du Mouvement des Femmes et de son organisme prédécesseur, le Centre d'Information des Femmes de Toronto (Women's Information Centre - WIC).

Nancy Adamson est une militante féministe. Elle a travaillé dans l'administration universitaire pendant plus de 20 ans et a été chargée de cours depuis 1979. Elle s'est spécialisée dans les questions de genre, les études féminines et la lutte contre le harcèlement sexuel sur le lieu de travail. Nancy Adamson est co-auteure de l'ouvrage "Feminist Organizing for Change: The Contemporary Women's Movement in Canada", publié en 1989, qui analyse en profondeur le mouvement féministe canadien contemporain.

Nancy Adamson est titulaire d'une licence en histoire du Mount Holyoke College, d'une licence en sciences infirmières de l'université de Toronto, d'une maîtrise en histoire de l'université Emory et d'un doctorat en histoire (1983) de l'université de Toronto. À l'université de Toronto, elle a mis en place le bureau de lutte contre le harcèlement sexuel et travaillé comme conseillère. De 1991 à 2000, elle a travaillé à l'université de Carleton (Ottawa, Ontario) au bureau de la condition féminine et aux services d'équité.

Nancy Adamson est membre fondatrice de l'université Galen à Belize, qui a ouvert ses portes en 2003. Elle a occupé le poste de doyenne de l'université, ainsi que des postes de professeure, de directrice générale, de vice-présidente et de présidente.

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(1923-2018)

Biographical history

"Helen Levine (nee Zivian) was born in Ottawa in 1923. She was a social worker, activist and professor. At the School of Social Work at Carleton University, she introduced women's issues and feminist perspectives into the curriculum for the first time. She received the Governor General's Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case for advancing the equality of women in Canada.
Helen Levine was actively involved in the women’s movement since the late 1960s. She was a member of the Faculty of the School of Social Work at Carleton University from the mid-1970s until 1988. Upon retiring, she practised feminist counselling as well as speaking and doing workshops on topics related to women’s personal and political struggles. She was a member of the Crones, a group of older feminists; of a singing group called Sistersong; and of Woman-to-Woman, a feminist counselling project in Ottawa. She published many articles, most of which have been critiques of the conventional helping professions and of the issues related to a feminist counselling approach. In October 1989, she was one of six women across Canada to receive the Person’s Award, in recognition of her contribution to improving the status of Canadian Women.
Helen Levine died in Ottawa in 2018.
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Helen Levine (née Zivian) est née à Ottawa en 1923. Elle était assistante sociale, militante et professeure. À l'École de travail social de l'Université Carleton, elle a introduit pour la première fois les questions relatives aux femmes et les perspectives féministes dans le programme d'études. Elle a reçu le prix du gouverneur général en commémoration de l'affaire ""personne"" pour avoir fait progresser l'égalité des femmes au Canada.
Helen Levine a participé activement au mouvement des femmes depuis la fin des années 1960. Elle a été membre de la faculté de l'école de travail social de l'université de Carleton du milieu des années 1970 jusqu'en 1988. Après avoir pris sa retraite, elle a pratiqué le conseil féministe et a donné des conférences et des ateliers sur des sujets liés aux luttes personnelles et politiques des femmes. Elle a été membre des Crones, un groupe de féministes âgées, d'un groupe de chant appelé Sistersong et de Woman-to-Woman, un projet de conseil féministe à Ottawa. Elle a publié de nombreux articles, dont la plupart étaient des critiques des professions d'aide conventionnelles et des questions liées à une approche de conseil féministe. En octobre 1989, elle a été l'une des six femmes au Canada à recevoir le Prix de la personne, en reconnaissance de sa contribution à l'amélioration de la condition des femmes canadiennes.
Helen Levine est décédée à Ottawa en 2018."

Custodial history

Scope and content

This recording consists of Nancy Adamson's interview with Helen Levine in Ottawa at the School of Social Work at Carleton University, on 11 August 1992. Levine speaks about her early involvement with the women's movement beginning in the 1960s, as well as other socio-political groups, demonstrations and organizations in Ottawa, including the Women's Resource Group, the Women's Centre, Women's Place, a Marxist feminist group, [CR] conscious-raising groups, Interval House, the Abortion Caravan, the Communist Party, and more. Levine and Adamson discuss politics, age, radical/liberal/Marxist feminism, and compare the women's movement across Canada (particularly in Toronto) to the movement in Ottawa. Later topics discussed include women's studies courses. Levine's work at Carleton University [in the Faculty of the School of Social Work], reflections on the topic of race and changes within the women's movement, etc. Throughout the interview, Levine touches on her personal life and struggles. [There is a pause in the recording between A and B side at 53:24, the conversation begins again at 53:28].

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Immediate source of acquisition

Donated by Nancy Adamson as part of accession in ACC-2002-09 to Archives and Special Collections in 2002.

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  • English

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Digital file was derived from the digitization of an audiocassette ACC-2002-09-M1

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Digital preservation package ACC-2002-09

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Permissions to access this recording have been provided by the interviewer and by the children of the interviewee (August 2023).

Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

All rights remain with the University of Ottawa Library Archives and Special Collections. For copyright permissions contact Archives and Special Collections.

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