Fonds AR453 - Ann Hansen fonds

Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

Ann Hansen fonds

General material designation

  • Textual record

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Level of description

Fonds

Reference code

CA UVICARCH AR453

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Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

Dates of creation area

Date(s)

  • 1970 - 2012 (Creation)
    Creator
    Hansen, Ann
    Note
    (1970-2003 predominant)

Physical description area

Physical description

210 cm textual records

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Archival description area

Name of creator

(1953 -)

Biographical history

Ann Hansen is a Canadian anarchist, born in Ontario in 1953. Her early interest in anti-authoritarian activities led her to Europe, where she studied urban guerrilla groups as a part of the University of Waterloo’s Integrated Studies department. Upon her return to Canada, she became active with the prison-abolition movement, including the production of Bulldozer magazine.
In the early 1980s, Hansen formed the guerrilla organization, Direct Action (later also known as the Vancouver Five or the Squamish Five), in Vancouver with Julia Belmas, Gerry Hannah, Doug Stewart, and Brent Taylor. Direct Action’s major activities occurred in 1982; the bombing of the Cheekye-Dunsmuir BC Hydro substation on Vancouver Island in May, and the bombing of the Litton Industries factory in Toronto in October. Direct Action also participated in the collective Wimmin’s Fire Brigade firebombing actions against the Red Hot Video pornographic video store outlets in BC. The group were arrested in January 1983 on the highway near Squamish, BC; “Free the Five” rallies were organized in their support and to raise awareness of alleged biased media reporting concerning the trial. Direct Action members were sentenced to life in prison in June 1984; all members have completed their sentences and have been released.
Hansen has since published <i>Direct Action: Memoires of An Urban Guerrilla</i>(Between the Lines Press, 2001), and co-authored, with Julie Belmas, <i>This Is not A Love Story: Armed Struggle Against the Institutions of Patriarchy </i>(2002; available for download from http://TheAnarchistLibrary.org).

Custodial history

Scope and content

The archival fonds consists of the following series: Direct Action-related clippings, correspondence, ephemera and notes; legal correspondence; pre- and post-parole correspondence, ephemera, notes and writings by others; correspondence received during incarceration; prison records (supplied to Hansen under an Access to Information request); Direct Action chapter drafts and related materials; and RCMP surveillance transcripts (closed until 2072).

Subject matter of the mixed clippings and correspondence series includes: anti-nuclear/anti-cruise missile activism, court proceedings, Elizabeth Fry Society, environmental issues, indigenous peoples issues, international activism, pornography, anti-pornography/anti-snuff films, prison-industrial complex, sexual assault, Red Hot Video, the Vancouver Five trial matters and sentencing, women’s rights.

Correspondence received during incarceration series includes: correspondence from Brent Taylor, Janice Bear Neudorf, and various supporters and publishers; series also includes 1 box of previous sealed letters from other members of the Vancouver Five, primarily Brent Taylor.

Notes area

Physical condition

Immediate source of acquisition

Donated by Ann Hansen in 2011

Arrangement

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

    Location of originals

    Availability of other formats

    Restrictions on access

    RCMP surveillance transcripts are closed until 2072.

    Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

    Finding aids

    Finding aid available with folder level control.

    Associated materials

    Fonds is a part of the Anarchist Archive collections held by UVic Special Collections and University Archives. For more on related materials see http://www.uvic.ca/library/featured/collections/anarchist/index.php

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    Accruals

    No further accruals expected.

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