Battling pornography : the American feminist anti-pornography movement, 1976-1986 / Carolyn Bronstein.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bronstein, Carolyn.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Pornography--United States--History.

Pornography.

Feminism--United States--History.

Feminism.

Women--Crimes against--United States--History.

Women.

Women--Crimes against.

History.

United States.

Physical Description:

xiv, 360 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2011.

Summary:

"In the mid-1970s, American feminists formed grassroots organizations to protest the proliferation of advertisements, films, and other popular media that glorified sexual violence against women. They pioneered feminist analyses of these images, which were thought to promote sexist attitudes and behavior, and male power and control. Over time, feminists shifted their focus to pornography, and a full-fledged anti-pornography movement was born. This book analyzes the rise and fall of the American feminist anti-pornography movement, situating its development in the social and cultural history of the late 1960s and 1970s, including the sexual revolution and the second wave. Based on extensive original archival work, Carolyn Bronstein chronicles the three most influential movement organizations and reveals how and why anti-pornography took root. Bronstein shows that the strategic reorientation to pornography propelled the movement into the national spotlight but also ignited a counter-movement led by feminists and free speech advocates that ultimately toppled anti-pornography in the mid-1980s. Battling Pornography offers a detailed account of inner movement dynamics and the contributions of its central actors, including some of the best-known figures in American feminism"--Provided by publisher.

Contents:

1 Seeds of Discontent: The Failed Promise of the Sexual Revolution for Women 25

2 Male Violence and the Critique of Heterosexuality: The Influence of Radical Feminism on the Anti-Pornography Movement 38

3 Have You Seen Deep Throat Yet? The Growth of the Commercial Sex Industry in 1970s America 63

4 "I'm Black and Blue from the Rolling Stones and I Love It!": Women Against Violence Against Women and the Campaign Against Media Violence 83

5 Something Inside Me Just Went "Click": Women Against Violence in Pornography and Media and the Transition to an Anti-Pornography Movement 127

6 Growing Pains: The Emergence of Women Against Pornography and New Directions for the Feminist Anti-Pornography Movement 173

7 Porn Tours: Tensions and Triumphs for WAP 200

8 The New Lay of the Land: WAP Assumes Leadership of the Movement and Faces Challenges from Within and Without 238

9 Anti-Pornography Comes Undone: The Rise of the Feminist Pro-Sex Countermovement 279.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780521879927

0521879922

9781107400399

1107400392

OCLC:

672278468