History
The Society was founded in December 1981 by Konrad Bieber, Yolanda Astarita Patterson, and Jacques Zéphir after a session devoted to Simone de Beauvoir at the annual meeting of the Modern Language Association (MLA). Jacques Zéphir was the first President of the Society and Yolanda Patterson was the first Secretary-Treasurer. After Zéphir's three year term as President (1981-1983), Patterson became the Society's President in 1984 and Liliane Lazar became the Secretary-Treasurer.
Patterson and Lazar held these positions for 32 years (1984-2016). At the 23rd Annual Simone de Beauvoir Society Conference in June 2016 held in Superior, Wisconsin, a new executive committee was elected with Tove Pettersen as President and Meryl Altman as Secretary-Treasurer. In May 2018, the Society officially established itself as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. Since January 2020, Qrescent Mali Mason is the new President (see the Steering Committee).
The Society hosts an annual international conference to discuss Beauvoir's philosophical, literary, and political works and is also home to the peer-reviewed journal, Simone de Beauvoir Studies. The first issue of the journal was published in 1983 and was published once a year until 2007. The journal has since resumed annual publication under the editorial leadership of Jennifer McWeeny, who was elected editor of the journal in June 2016.
The Society has a long history of international membership. In 1983, it had 30 members. Today, the Society has hundreds of members from all over the world. The Society is committed to an inclusive and interdisciplinary environment for academic and independent scholars. The Society is allied with the Modern Language Association of America (MLA).
You can follow us on social media where we share our activities:
Patterson and Lazar held these positions for 32 years (1984-2016). At the 23rd Annual Simone de Beauvoir Society Conference in June 2016 held in Superior, Wisconsin, a new executive committee was elected with Tove Pettersen as President and Meryl Altman as Secretary-Treasurer. In May 2018, the Society officially established itself as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. Since January 2020, Qrescent Mali Mason is the new President (see the Steering Committee).
The Society hosts an annual international conference to discuss Beauvoir's philosophical, literary, and political works and is also home to the peer-reviewed journal, Simone de Beauvoir Studies. The first issue of the journal was published in 1983 and was published once a year until 2007. The journal has since resumed annual publication under the editorial leadership of Jennifer McWeeny, who was elected editor of the journal in June 2016.
The Society has a long history of international membership. In 1983, it had 30 members. Today, the Society has hundreds of members from all over the world. The Society is committed to an inclusive and interdisciplinary environment for academic and independent scholars. The Society is allied with the Modern Language Association of America (MLA).
You can follow us on social media where we share our activities: