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*Dear Feasties:
*

*
Thanks to Nancy Hirschmann for forwarding to you my early message to 
close friends of Nancy Hartsock about her death.  And sincere thanks to 
so many of you for your your prompt condolences and appreciative 
comments regarding Nancy's influence on feminist theory and philosophy.  
It has taken me several days to compose a proper obit, which I am now 
sharing with you.  Please help us build the fund for the graduate paper 
prize in Nancy's name at the University of Washington.  This is an 
effort to institutionalize a legacy for feminist scholarship.  Our 
paradoxical task is to institutionalize a legacy whose purpose we can 
only hope will become obsolete in the future.  May we live long enough 
to see that day arrive! Until then, please contribute.
*

*
Yours, in the precious memory of Nancy Hartsock,
Christine Di Stefano
*

*
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*
*

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*
Nancy C.M. Hartsock (1943-2015)*

**

**

*Professor Emerita Nancy C.M. Hartsock passed away on March 19, in 
Seattle, WA.Nancy joined the departments of Political Science and Women 
Studies (now Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies) at the University of 
Washington in 1984.Before then, she held appointments at the University 
of Michigan, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, and Oberlin.She received her Ph.D. 
in Political Science from the University of Chicago in 1972, with a 
dissertation on “Philosophy, Ideology, and Ordinary Language:The 
Political Thought of Black Community Leaders.”Two years later, in 1974, 
her pioneering work in feminist theory began to appear in _Quest: A 
Feminist Quarterly_.Nancy had found her calling in political theory.*

**

*Her magnum opus, _Money, Sex, and Power: Toward a Feminist Historical 
Materialism_ (1983), offered a substantive contribution to the 
theorization of the sexual division of labor, and women’s labor more 
specifically, as a resource for the development of a “feminist 
standpoint.”“The Feminist Standpoint:Developing the Ground for a 
Specifically Feminist Historical Materialism” (1983) was widely 
reprinted in edited anthologies of feminist theory.These two works are 
among the most influential and widely-cited pieces of scholarship in 
feminist and political theory.Nancy’s elaboration of the feminist 
standpoint was subsequently presented in _The Feminist Standpoint 
Revisited and Other Essays_ (1998).Her work was adopted, extended and 
revised, as well as criticized, by feminist scholars, and continues to 
be a vital touchstone for feminist inquiry.In her later work, Nancy 
focused her attention on the political economic dynamics of 
globalization and their impacts on women’s labor and life-chances.*

**

*Nancy served in a variety of leadership and service roles in the 
profession, including President of the Western Political Science 
Association (1994-95) and service on a variety of editorial boards.She 
was also a co-founder of the Center for Women & Democracy in Seattle, WA 
and served as its Founding Director (1999-2000).In 1993, she was honored 
with a Mentor of Distinction Award from the American Political Science 
Association Women’s Caucus.*

**

*Nancy**left us all-too-soon, although she defied the medical 
statistical odds by 30 years when she was diagnosed with late-stage 
breast cancer in 1985.As we mourn Nancy, let’s also celebrate her 
significant achievements, contributions, and resilience.In addition to 
her passionate pursuit of feminist theory and social justice, Nancy was 
an accomplished equestrian and musician.Not content merely to play the 
harpsichord, she proceeded to build one soon after completing her 
dissertation.Nancy lavished loving attention on many fortunate cats, 
including Stokely, Annie, Chan, and Emma.She was also a shameless 
foodie.Her passion for travel was reflected in the art that adorned her 
home.*

**

*On the occasion of her retirement in 2009, Nancy’s commitments to 
graduate teaching were reflected in the decision to create a graduate 
student paper prize in her name at the University of Washington, “The 
Nancy C.M. Hartsock Prize for Best Graduate Paper in Feminist 
Theory.”This fund is administered by the College of Arts & 
Sciences.Graduate students from all departments and schools in the 
college are eligible to apply for this annual prize.If you would like to 
contribute to this fund, please make your check out to “UW Foundation,” 
with a memo line indicating “Hartsock Prize Fund.”Donations may be 
mailed to:Christine Di Stefano, Department of Political Science, Box 
353530, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-3530.*

**

*May Nancy “rest in power.”**

**

**

** Thanks to Heather Pool, a former student of Nancy’s and now Assistant 
Professor at Denison University, *

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