Summary Of Battling Pornography: The American Feminist Anti-Pornography
Bronstein, Carolyn. Battling Pornography: The American Feminist Anti-Pornography Movement, 1976-1986.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2011
Thesis: Bronstein argues that the women participating in the anti-pornography movement were seeking to eradicate "depictions of violence, ... not sex (333)" and the popular belief that the movement was only from 1983-1986 is incorrect, that the movement went on for over a decade.
Themes: 1) One of the themes in this book is definition. Throughout the text the definitions of the terms "eroticism" and "pornography" were a major topic. How one defined eroticism depended on ones social background and personal beliefs. Defining the movement itself was also a major issue. When you cannot truly define pornography, how can you define the anti-pornography movement? Another issue was defining what it meant to be a feminist (more on that below). …show more content…
Problems with definitions of terminology and movement led to divides within the movement. Internal conflicts such as, 'how can one be a feminist if she goes home to a man every night' and 'should government legislation get involved', caused major internal problems within the movement. External conflict came from those who promoted the use of images against women in advertisement as well as later in the movement the advancement of technology. With the invention of the VCR, pornography was no longer a public taboo, you could watch it in the comfort of your own home.
3) A third theme of the book is race. Many non-white women, especially blacks, felt that the movement focused solely on the issues of the white female, rather than females as a whole. They felt WAP (women against pornography) did not emphasize the problems with the way that black women (or as Bronstein calls them "women of color") were portrayed and treated in pornography.
Evidentiary
Thesis: Bronstein argues that the women participating in the anti-pornography movement were seeking to eradicate "depictions of violence, ... not sex (333)" and the popular belief that the movement was only from 1983-1986 is incorrect, that the movement went on for over a decade.
Themes: 1) One of the themes in this book is definition. Throughout the text the definitions of the terms "eroticism" and "pornography" were a major topic. How one defined eroticism depended on ones social background and personal beliefs. Defining the movement itself was also a major issue. When you cannot truly define pornography, how can you define the anti-pornography movement? Another issue was defining what it meant to be a feminist (more on that below). …show more content…
Problems with definitions of terminology and movement led to divides within the movement. Internal conflicts such as, 'how can one be a feminist if she goes home to a man every night' and 'should government legislation get involved', caused major internal problems within the movement. External conflict came from those who promoted the use of images against women in advertisement as well as later in the movement the advancement of technology. With the invention of the VCR, pornography was no longer a public taboo, you could watch it in the comfort of your own home.
3) A third theme of the book is race. Many non-white women, especially blacks, felt that the movement focused solely on the issues of the white female, rather than females as a whole. They felt WAP (women against pornography) did not emphasize the problems with the way that black women (or as Bronstein calls them "women of color") were portrayed and treated in pornography.
Evidentiary