Battling Pornography: The American Feminist Anti-Pornography Movement, 1976–1986

by Carolyn Bronstein

• ISBN13: 9780521879927
• ISBN10: 0521879922
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-06-30
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Pornography catapulted to the forefront of the American women's movement in the 1980s. In Battling Pornography, Carolyn Bronstein locates the origins of anti-pornography sentiment in the turbulent social and cultural history of the late 1960s and 1970s. Based on extensive original archival research, the book reveals that the seeds of the movement were planted by groups who protested the proliferation of advertisements, Hollywood films and other mainstream media that glorified sexual violence. Over time, feminist leaders redirected the emphasis from violence to pornography to leverage rhetorical power. Battling Pornography presents a fascinating account of the rise and fall of this significant American social movement and documents the contributions of influential activists on both sides of the pornography debate, including some of the best-known American feminists.

Author Biography

Carolyn Bronstein is Associate Professor of Media Studies in the College of Communication at DePaul University. Her research investigates questions of media representation and social responsibility, with an emphasis on gender, and her work has been published in such journals as Violence Against Women, Camera Obscura, and Journalism Mass Communication Quarterly.

Table of Contents

List of Figures	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xi
Introduction: Battling Pornography: The American Feminist Anti-Pornography Movement, 1976-1986	p. 1
Seeds of Discontent: The Failed Promise of the Sexual Revolution for Women	p. 25
Male Violence and the Critique of Heterosexuality: The Influence of Radical Feminism on the Anti-Pornography Movement	p. 38
Have You Seen Deep Throat Yet? The Growth of the Commercial Sex Industry in 1970s America	p. 63
ôI'm Black and Blue from the Rolling Stones and I Love It!ö: Women Against Violence Against Women and the Campaign Against Media Violence	p. 83
Something Inside Me Just Went ôClickö: Women Against Violence in Pornography and Media and the Transition to an Anti-Pornography Movement	p. 127
Growing Pains: The Emergence of Women Against Pornography and New Directions for the Feminist Anti-Pornography Movement	p. 173
Porn Tours: Tensions and Triumphs for WAP	p. 200
The New Lay of the Land: WAP Assumes Leadership of the Movement and Faces Challenges from Within and Without	p. 238
Anti-Pornography Comes Undone: The Rise of the Feminist Pro-Sex Countermovement	p. 279
Conclusion: Porn Is Here to Stay: The Feminist Anti-Pornography Movement in the 1980s and Beyond	p. 309
Bibliography	p. 337
Index	p. 355
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