Donna J. Haraway

By David Lawson
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    Early Life and Education

    Donna Jeanne Haraway was born on September 6, 1944, in Denver, Colorado. Raised in a Catholic household, Haraway's education began at St. Mary's Academy. She later pursued zoology, philosophy, and English at Colorado College and completed her Ph.D. in biology at Yale in 1972, focusing on metaphor in experimental biology (Watson and Cornfeld).
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    Teaching at the University of Hawaii and Johns Hopkins

    Haraway began her academic career teaching women's studies and the history of science at the University of Hawaii from 1971 to 1974. She then moved to Johns Hopkins University, where she continued to teach until 1980, developing her interdisciplinary approach to science and feminist theory (Middleton).
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    Tenure at UC Santa Cruz

    In 1980, Haraway joined the University of California, Santa Cruz, as the first tenured professor in feminist theory in the United States (Watson and Cornfeld). Here, she continued to develop her influential work, combining feminist theory with science and technology studies, contributing significantly to ecofeminism and critiques of anthropocentrism.

  • Publication of "A Cyborg Manifesto"

    In 1985, Haraway published "A Cyborg Manifesto," a groundbreaking essay that redefined feminist theory by merging it with technology and socialism (UC Berkeley Events). The manifesto used the metaphor of the cyborg to challenge the binaries of gender, race, and class, making a lasting impact on feminist and technoscience studies (Latimer).

  • Primate Visions Publication

    Haraway's "Primate Visions: Gender, Race, and Nature in the World of Modern Science" was published in 1989. This work critiqued the gender and racial biases in primatology, offering a feminist perspective on the study of human and non-human primates, and further established her as a leading feminist scholar (Haraway).
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    Collaboration with Lynn Randolph

    From 1990 to 1996, Haraway collaborated with feminist theorist Lynn Randolph. Their exchange of ideas on feminism, technoscience, and political consciousness culminated in Haraway's book "Modest_Witness," for which she received the Ludwik Fleck Prize in 1999. This collaboration highlighted the interdisciplinary nature of Haraway's work (Latimer).

  • Awarded the Wilbur Cross Medal

    In 2017, Haraway received the Wilbur Cross Medal from Yale University, one of its highest honors. This recognition was a testament to her profound impact on feminist theory, science studies, and ecofeminism, solidifying her legacy as one of the most influential thinkers of her time (Watson and Cornfeld).