The Feminist Archive North (FAN) holds a wide variety of material relating to the Women’s Liberation Movement (WLM) from 1969 to the present. Topics covered by FAN include the women’s peace movement, women’s studies, women and development, and violence against women.
FAN was created in the 1980s, when material from the Feminist Archive South, the sister archive founded earlier in the South-West, was relocated to the North of England. FAN was housed first in the University of Bradford and then in Leeds Metropolitan University. During this time the collection grew. In 2001 FAN was moved to Special Collections, in the Brotherton Library at the University of Leeds.
The Archive includes personal and organisational documentary archives, conference papers, dissertations, books, and complete runs of important WLM journals such as Spare Rib, Shrew, Women’s Report, Scarlet Woman, Shifra and Women’s Voice. There are also leaflets, video and audio tapes, posters and other ephemera – a wealth of contemporary material, much of which is unique to this collection.
The Archive is regularly used by women students, academics, and activists for research and/ or interest. We are presently open by appointment only.
If you would like more information please visit our website. Comments about the site are welcome!