Feminism and Pornography

by Drucilla Cornell (Editor)

This collection of essays seeks to expand the parameters of the debate on pornography. In an effort to move away from the divisive frameworks of which side are you on? and who counts as women worthy to be listened to? in feminist debates on pornography, this volume seeks to understand what pornography means to those who consume it, fight against it, work within it, and to those engaged in changing its meaning. By opening up a space for divergent points of view to address the complexity of sexual material, this volume seeks to forge solidarity amongst a diverse array of constituencies, including academics, activists, and sex workers from diverse socio-political contexts. Through seeking to address the relationship between imperialism, the exotic, and the pornographic, the collection moves away from Eurocentric perspectives on pornography, by including the perspectives of women involved in struggles for national liberation in the South.

This volume explores a wide range of issues, such as, how the meaning of pornography is shaped by changing historical and political realities; the role law should play, if any, in the sex industry; whether union organizing can change the working conditions in the sex industry; kinds of representational politics available for redefining pornography; and how sexually explicity literature, videos, art, and music can serve the purpose of sexual freedom.

Contributors to the volume include Diana Russell, Catharine MacKinnon, Andrea Dworkin, Wendy Brown, Becki Ross, Mallek Alloula, M. Jacqui Alexander, Victoria Ortiz, bell hooks, Rey Chow, Judith Butler, Candida Royalle, Zoraida Ramirez Rodriguez, amongst others.

Genres: Feminism, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Sex Work, Sexuality, Pornography

688 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Drucilla Cornell is National Research Foundation Professor in Customary Law, Indigenous Ideals, and the Dignity Jurisprudence at the University of Cape Town in South Africa and Professor of Political Science, Women & Gender Studies, and Comparative Literature at Rutgers University.

Reviews

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a long one, 700+ pages I believe. I read it because I got into an online argument with an Australian feminist girl who I have no connection with in real life, and haven't had any contact with since. The argument was about whether or not pornography is rape. Though this book has many logical twists and turns, there are arguments in a number of these essays (both academic and otherwise) that lead me to believe this Australian girl may have been right, in some certain senses anyway.

The essays in this book range from utterly dry to colorful and entertaining. The sheer volume of information in this book can be tiring, but the numerous points of view and sheer breadth with which the subjects of pornography and feminism intersect justify it's length. Although it concerns only one subject matter, you often forget you are reading about pornography or feminism specifically, as many of the ideas in this book apply to many other areas of life, from violence on TV to civil rights to science and literature.

After reading this book, any person will be able to make that terrific leap to believing that one's own mother is an actual woman (a realization that those of us without daughters of our own may find it hard to make), and that the way women are treated in society, even today, is truly important. Every man, and any woman who feels the need to reevaluate her ideas of feminism could make important personal strides by reading this book. Though, it is far from an effortless read.

[Shilo]

I've been reading this one essay at a time for years.

[miso miso]

lots of academic stuff and personal polemical stuff. excellent read.