This book presents thought-provoking research and data about pornography that will prompt readers to reconsider their positions on a highly controversial and current issue.
Why do people use pornography? Is porn addiction a fact or myth? What is revenge porn and is it illegal? Can pornography be more diverse? This interdisciplinary collection presents well-researched facts and up-to-date data that encourage informed discussion about controversial and relevant issues in contemporary society. Chapters address topics such as the history and cultural trends of pornography, labor and production practices in creating porn, the effects of technology, current issues in obscenity law, and myths and facts about the effects of pornography.
New Views on Pornography: Sexuality, Politics, and the Law challenges assumptions about this popular yet controversial industry. Contributors include top scholars from media studies, sociology, psychology, gender studies, criminology, politics, and the law. This book provides a comprehensive overview of pornography that will help students, educators, and general readers deepen their understanding of this provocative subject.
Features
- Highlights contemporary and controversial issues in pornography, politics, and the law
- Features the latest research and data on pornography, drawing on scholarship in philosophy, medicine, sociology, media studies, gender studies, psychology, criminology, and the law
- Brings new scholarship to debates about pop culture and sexuality through comprehensive analysis of the crossroads of pornography and issues such as feminism, censorship, diversity, and sexual politics
Lynn Comella, PhD, is associate professor of gender and sexuality studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Her published work has appeared in The Feminist Porn Book: The Politics of Producing Pleasure; Sex for Sale: Prostitution, Pornography, and the Sex Industry; and New Sociologies of Sex Work, among other places. She is a frequent media commentator and regularly writes about gender and sexuality in the popular press.
Shira Tarrant, PhD, is associate professor of women's, gender, and sexuality studies at California State University, Long Beach. Her books include When Sex Became Gender and Men Speak Out: Views on Gender, Sex, and Power. She received her doctorate in political science from the University of California, Los Angeles. Her website is www.shiratarrant.com.
Reviews
"Comella and Tarrant’s new work is a valuable addition to the existing literature. . . . The chapters on pedagogy and research methods are particularly useful for researchers. The essays are not only well researched and accessibly written but also integrate first-person perspectives in the industry, legal practices, and academia. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All academic levels/libraries."—Choice, July 23, 2015
"Comella and Tarrant provide readers with a sophisticated and appropriately extensive overview of pornography in a text that could easily function as a ‘desk reference’ on the subject . . . surely a compelling and dynamic read. . . . The editors have certainly brought together a vibrant group of interdisciplinary authors to advance a deeply complex topic often sullied with confusing adversarial discourse, relative social stigma, and misinformation. I would highly recommend, New Views on Pornography: Sexuality, Politics, and the Law, to anyone seeking a consolidated text detailing the past, present, and future of pornography."—Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books, December 7, 2015
"This book represents a delightfully new approach to an academically complex topic because of the competing discourses, apparently never before brought together in one volume. . . . As a general reader (psychologist and lawyer), I found my views changing as I read the material. That is the highest compliment one can bestow on a book. Even though the chapters were dense, I found myself fascinated and enlightened.. . . . [W]hat I believe is the chapters are so well written and compelling that another reader may experience her or his own evolution while reading this volume."—PsycCRITIQUES, July 1, 2016
"Much of New Views on Pornography is just that—'views'— that both challenge and inform. One doesn’t have to agree with every author, but the histories, contexts, and issues surrounding this evergreen topic as presented here are a valuable resource for any journalist, educator, or lay person seeking a compass with which to navigate."—Brian Alexander, Writer and Author of America Unzipped: The Search for Sex and Satisfaction
"This anthology is an outstanding contribution to the contemporary debate on pornography. With a strong interdisciplinary and unbiased approach, it provides both scholars and the general public with fundamental tools for understanding the controversial relationships between the field of sexual representations, politics, society, sexual identities, and the different porn audiences."—Giovanna Maina, Marie Curie Research Fellow at the University of Sunderland (UK)
"Tackling the topic of pornography from cultural, legal, and political standpoints, this book is an indispensable addition to the dynamic field of pornography studies. Whether breathing fresh air into old debates or pioneering recent and burgeoning sites, the diverse interdisciplinary chapters in this collection represent voices from academia and the industry to profoundly shape our understanding of pornography."—Ariane Cruz, Assistant Professor, Pennsylvania State University
"A useful wide-ranging, up-to-the-moment, and often daring collection. This is recent porn scholarship at its best."—Laura Kipnis, Northwestern University, Author of Bound and Gagged: Pornography and the Politics of Fantasy in America
"Significantly advancing the field of porn studies, New Views On Pornography gathers some of the most exciting scholars, practitioner-theorists, and legal minds to explore the vast complexities of porn. Bold, innovative, and rich in scope, this collection will keep us productively thinking about sex for some time to come."—Dr. Bobby Noble, Professor, Sexuality Studies, York University (Canada)
