Mary Joe Frug
Encyclopedia
Mary Joe Frug was a professor
at New England School of Law
from 1981 to 1991. She is considered a forerunner of legal postmodern feminist theory
, and was a renowned postmodernist
and feminist
legal scholar. Much of her work was collected in the posthumously-published book Postmodern Legal Feminism. She authored the casebook
Women and the Law.
On April 4, 1991, Frug was murdered on the streets of Cambridge
, Massachusetts
not far from the home that she shared with her husband, Harvard Law professor Gerald Frug
, and their children Stephen and Emily.
published an unfinished draft article by Frug called "A Postmodern Feminist Legal Manifesto," which explored the legal theories on violence toward women. Some members of the Review were opposed to publishing the piece, and later, on the anniversary of her assassination, parodied it in He-Manifesto of Post-Mortem Legal Feminism, which was included in the Harvard Law Revue, an annual spoof of the Review. It was signed by "Mary Doe, Rigor-Mortis Professor of Law" and argued that Frug's theories were the concoction of paranoid feminists. Co-authors Craig Coben and Ken Fenyo later apologized in a statement, particularly to Frug's husband. They added that they did not mean to distribute the article on the anniversary of her death. The statement was signed by other members of the Review, including the then-Supreme Court editor Paul Clement
. Her views were considered especially infuriating by Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz, who railed against her audacity, and stirred up strong sentiment against her among his students. According to The New York Times
:
The New England School of Law houses the "Professor Mary Joe Frug Women and the Law Collection" at its library.
The Women's Law Caucus at the New England School of Law established the Mary Joe Frug Grant to provide "stipends for students at New England who devote their summers to improving the lives of women."
In 1994 the Mary Joe Frug Fund was launched to establish an endowed chair at the New England School of Law in her memory. This chair would be the first of its kind in the nation and would carry on the legacy of Professor Frug by allowing visiting professors to come to the New England School of Law and teach women's issues in the law.
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at New England School of Law
New England School of Law
New England School of Law is a private law school in Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1908 as a law school for women.-History:...
from 1981 to 1991. She is considered a forerunner of legal postmodern feminist theory
Postmodern feminism
Postmodern feminism is an approach to feminist theory that incorporates postmodern and post-structuralist theory.-Origins and theory:The largest departure from other branches of feminism is the argument that sex is itself constructed through language, a view most notably propounded in Judith...
, and was a renowned postmodernist
Postmodernism
Postmodernism is a philosophical movement evolved in reaction to modernism, the tendency in contemporary culture to accept only objective truth and to be inherently suspicious towards a global cultural narrative or meta-narrative. Postmodernist thought is an intentional departure from the...
and feminist
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
legal scholar. Much of her work was collected in the posthumously-published book Postmodern Legal Feminism. She authored the casebook
Casebook
A casebook is a type of textbook used primarily by students in law schools. Rather than simply laying out the legal doctrine in a particular area of study, a casebook contains excerpts from legal cases in which the law of that area was applied. It is then up to the student to analyze the language...
Women and the Law.
On April 4, 1991, Frug was murdered on the streets of Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
not far from the home that she shared with her husband, Harvard Law professor Gerald Frug
Gerald Frug
Gerald Frug is the Louis D. Brandeis Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, and a leading academic authority on local government law. He was married to feminist law professor Mary Joe Frug, who was murdered in 1991....
, and their children Stephen and Emily.
Harvard Law Review controversy
In March 1992, the Harvard Law ReviewHarvard Law Review
The Harvard Law Review is a journal of legal scholarship published by an independent student group at Harvard Law School.-Overview:According to the 2008 Journal Citation Reports, the Review is the most cited law review and has the second-highest impact factor in the category "law" after the...
published an unfinished draft article by Frug called "A Postmodern Feminist Legal Manifesto," which explored the legal theories on violence toward women. Some members of the Review were opposed to publishing the piece, and later, on the anniversary of her assassination, parodied it in He-Manifesto of Post-Mortem Legal Feminism, which was included in the Harvard Law Revue, an annual spoof of the Review. It was signed by "Mary Doe, Rigor-Mortis Professor of Law" and argued that Frug's theories were the concoction of paranoid feminists. Co-authors Craig Coben and Ken Fenyo later apologized in a statement, particularly to Frug's husband. They added that they did not mean to distribute the article on the anniversary of her death. The statement was signed by other members of the Review, including the then-Supreme Court editor Paul Clement
Paul Clement
Paul Drew Clement is a former United States Solicitor General and current Georgetown University legal professor. He is also an adjunct professor at New York University School of Law. He was nominated by President George W...
. Her views were considered especially infuriating by Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz, who railed against her audacity, and stirred up strong sentiment against her among his students. According to The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
:
Legacy
Frug's casebook, Women and the Law, is still in publication, and is now known as Mary Joe Frug's Women and the Law.The New England School of Law houses the "Professor Mary Joe Frug Women and the Law Collection" at its library.
The Women's Law Caucus at the New England School of Law established the Mary Joe Frug Grant to provide "stipends for students at New England who devote their summers to improving the lives of women."
In 1994 the Mary Joe Frug Fund was launched to establish an endowed chair at the New England School of Law in her memory. This chair would be the first of its kind in the nation and would carry on the legacy of Professor Frug by allowing visiting professors to come to the New England School of Law and teach women's issues in the law.
Further reading
- Martha, Minow. (1992). "Incomplete Correspondence: An Unsent Letter to Mary Joe Frug." Harvard Law Review, 105(5):1096-1105