Thanks for suggesting I post this, Ross.
By the way, would people address and refer to me as Mary Ann rather than
Mary, please? Thanks.
A Biographical Dictionary of Women Economists
In 1935, William Baumol wrote that "before World War I, as today,
a (distressingly) few women _were_ contributing to the [economics]
literature"*. In fact, examination of the AEA _Index of Economic
Journals_ shows that women's contributions were much more numerous than
is generally realized.
Women have published in economics at least since the early 19th
century, but their work has been disproportionately forgotten. Much of
their work is interesting to historians of thought, and much of their
feminist economics is still highly relevant. Moreover, their lives are of
interest: women have become economists despite social and economic
barriers for almost two centuries, and it is illuminating to learn of
those barriers, and of how they were surmounted. Mary Ann Dimand, Robert
Dimand and Evelyn Forget (in alphabetical order) are editing a
_Biographical Dictionary of Women Economists_, commissioned by Edward
Elgar Publishing, as an exercise in collective biography, as well as to
erect a monument to the courage and work of early women economists.
The _Dictionary_ will consist of essays on the lives, careers and
research of women economists whose work has been, or should have been,
important in some field of economic analysis, and who are no longer
active in economics. An introductory essay will tie together some of what
may be learned from the collected biographies. Evelyn Forget is associate
professor of economics at the University of Manitoba. Robert Dimand is
professor of economics at Brock University (St. Catharines, Ontario), and
a visiting fellow at Yale. Mary Ann Dimand is a Ph.D. student in
economics at Yale University.
Most articles should run from 1000 to 2500 words, depending on
the importance of the subject in the history of economic thought.
"Importance" doesn't mean that the woman's contributions need to have
been recognized, but that the entry's author finds them important and
writes convincingly of it. Articles should give a biography of the
subject and an account of her work and its reception or neglect. The
editors would like accounts of the economists's work to include
discussion and analysis of the substance of the work and its influence,
if any, not merely a list of publications. Where the most important
aspect of a woman's career is her academic work, that should be
emphasized: however, some entries are included specifically for the
remarkable biography of the subject. Where a subject's biography is
particularly important, it should be emphasized.
Ideally, the editors should receive first drafts of articles by
the end of December, 1995, on (5.25" or 3.5") diskette in a version of
WordPerfect as well as in hardcopy.
In return, contributors will receive a copy of the dictionary
and, of course, glory.
While more than fifty entries have been assigned, a number remain
unassigned. Among unassigned entries are those for Olga Bondareva, Ann
Friedlander, Karin Kock, Elizabeth Boody Schumpeter, Nancy Schwartz, and
Maria de C. Tavares. The editors are also still open to the inclusion of
other women economists, especially those who write in languages other
than English.
To receive a copy of the list of assigned and unassigned entries,
and a copy of guidelines for entries, please send correspondence to:
Mary Ann Dimand and Robert Dimand
PO Box 207147, Yale Station
New Haven, CT 06520
U.S.A.
or
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* William Baumol, "On Method in U.S. Economics a Century Earlier", AER
75(6): 1-12.
I might add that entries have begun to arrive at this end. But there's
still time to fight for a noble cause and get a publication simultaneously.
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