Pornography in a Free Society

ISBN-13: 9780521406000 / Angielski / Miękka / 1991 / 252 str.

Gordon Hawkins; Franklin E. Zimring

Opis

Pornography in a Free Society deals with what has been called the "civil war over smut." The past two decades have been high seasons for pornography commissions. They were appointed in the United States in 1968, in Great Britain in 1977, in Canada in 1985, and in the United States again in 1985. In the United States, the report of the first commission was denounced as a pornographer's charter and that of the second as a reflection of the moral militancy of the Reagan counterrevolution. The authors look at the problems of pornography in a broader perspective than that of partisan political debate. They explain why it has become so controversial and divisive an issue in Western nations in recent decades. They discuss the radical feminist challenge to pornography and the question of pornography and children. Considering likely future developments, the authors argue that the furor over pornography and the appointment of commissions are part of a "ceremony of adjustment" to widespread availability of sexually explicit material and they predict less social concern about pornography as time passes. Franklin E. Zimring is Professor of Law and Director of the Earl Warren Legal Institute. Gordon Hawkins is Senior Fellow, Earl Warren Legal Institute at the University of California, Berkeley. Together they have written Capital Punishment and the American Agenda (1986), and The Citizen's Guide to Gun Control (1987).

Recenzje

'This is a highly informative and thought-provoking book. It makes a worth-while contribution to our understanding of public policy and pornography.' Ethics

Spis treści

List of tables and figures; Preface; Acknowledgements; Part I. Pornography and the Pornography Commissions: Introduction; 1. Experts on what? The origins and composition of pornography commissions; 2. On definitions; 3. The nature and distribution of pornography in the United States; 4. Pornographic communication and social harm: a review of the reviews; 5. Freedom of expression and the public law of pornography; Part II. Public Policy After Liberalization: Introduction; 6. Pornography and the subjugation of women: the radical feminist challenge; 7. Pornography and child protection; 8. Pornography in perspective: social response in the noncensoring society; 9. Notes toward the future; References; Index.