The War on Sex

David M Halperin editor Trevor Hoppe editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Duke University Press

Published:27th Mar '17

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The War on Sex cover

The past fifty years are conventionally understood to have witnessed an uninterrupted expansion of sexual rights and liberties in the United States. This state-of-the-art collection tells a different story: while progress has been made in marriage equality, reproductive rights, access to birth control, and other areas, government and civil society are waging a war on stigmatized sex by means of law, surveillance, and social control. The contributors document the history and operation of sex offender registries and the criminalization of HIV, as well as highly punitive measures against sex work that do more to harm women than to combat human trafficking. They reveal that sex crimes are punished more harshly than other crimes, while new legal and administrative regulations drastically restrict who is permitted to have sex. By examining how the ever-intensifying war on sex affects both privileged and marginalized communities, the essays collected here show why sexual liberation is indispensable to social justice and human rights.  Contributors. Alexis Agathocleous, Elizabeth Bernstein, J. Wallace Borchert, Mary Anne Case, Owen Daniel-McCarter, Scott De Orio, David M. Halperin, Amber Hollibaugh, Trevor Hoppe, Hans Tao-Ming Huang, Regina Kunzel, Roger N. Lancaster, Judith Levine, Laura Mansnerus, Erica R. Meiners, R. Noll, Melissa Petro, Carol Queen, Penelope Saunders, Sean Strub, Maurice Tomlinson, Gregory Tomso

"Interdisciplinary in scope and inclusive of activist voices from outside the academy, the book is an essential introduction to a struggle for self-determination and sexual self-assertion that has been occurring behind mainstream social movements’ focus on dignity and respectability.... [A]n urgent, well-argued agenda...." -- Ben Miller * Lambda Literary Review *
"This is an illuminating, often disturbing book, handling some extremely touchy subjects...." -- Perry Brass * Huffington Post *
"[A]n ambitious and provocative collection of essays.... The political credentials of many contributors to this volume show that much can be achieved in the face of overwhelming odds, and serve as a model for blending scholarship with civic engagement." -- Dan Udy * TLS *
"The editors have done a valuable service putting together these 17 rigorous pieces that, collectively, paint a grim picture of the nation’s sexual culture.... It’s a valuable book meant for an academic audience, a useful resource for one’s bookcase to draw upon when considering a truly troubling dimension of sex and contemporary life: the criminalization of sex." -- David Rosen * New York Journal of Books *
"At a moment when Queer Studies in the United States has turned its attention away from sex to matters considered more pressing, The War on Sex appears as a welcome reminder of the urgent work that remains to be done. . . . A thoroughly researched, expertly edited collection of substantial scholarly contributions . . . With meticulous documentation and persuasive argumentation, the various chapters of The War on Sex combine to tell a powerful story." -- Tim Dean * European Journal of American Culture *
"The War on Sex ultimately throws down a resounding gauntlet for scholars of sexuality, demanding we attend to. . . emerging twenty-first century regulatory frameworks."  -- Whitney Strub * Journal of the History of Sexuality *
"This book should be required reading for prosecutors, judges, therapists, social workers, and anyone who cares about criminal justice reform." * William A. Percy Foundation for Social & Historical Studies *

ISBN: 9780822363514

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 839g

512 pages