Description
As women beat down the doors and won the right to vote in the early twentieth century, adult (patriarchal) males rightly anticipated crusades on behalf of, or mounting conflicts over, those issues that particularly agitated women--drink, child welfare, and vice chief among them. This study examines the struggle of women to exert (matriarchal) control over burlesque houses, motion-picture theaters, and sex education in the schools--employing censorship in the role of moral leadership--and the opposition they encountered, from some men but also some women. Answering which, and why, Leigh Ann Wheeler finds that public disagreements on anti-obscenity fractured what appeared to be unity among women, undercut the earlier view of women as disinterested because apart from the public fray, and led to a resurgence of patriarchal authority--now in the shape of religious anti-obscenity. The leaders of the women's anti-obscenity movement launched their crusade in Minneapolis, but women across the country followed their example, so that Wheeler avoids the limitations of a purely local case study. Completed under the direction of Sara Evans, Wheeler's work offers a sterling example of how students of the women's experience can open new questions and deepen our understanding of cultural-political conflict in American life.
A provocative study of debates about obscenity on the local level. Wheeler's book provides much-needed perspective on the late feminist 'porn wars,' and, finally, gives women activists on both sides of the debate their due. -- Andrea Friedman, Washington University Beautifully written and beautifully crafted. It makes a strikingly original argument: that in redefining the meaning of obscenity, women reformers legitimized sexual education. Rather than portraying early twentieth-century debates over obscenity as a part of a continuous battle between the forces of 'repression' and 'enlightenment,' Leigh Ann Wheeler identifies key moments in these early sex wars, skillfully elucidating the changing significance of gender. Placing her subject in the broadest possible context, she analyzes its legacy for the sex wars of the 1980s and beyond. In short, Against Obscenity achieves a rare balance: it manages to be scholarly, accessible-and relevant. -- Wendy Gamber, Indiana University Against Obscenity is a significant study of women's anti-obscenity activism in America in the Progressive and New Deal years, offering an important look at female political engagement as it crossed the 1920 suffrage divide. Because regional leaders connected with national movements and moved onto a wider stage, the book is more than a study of a local crusade. With its lively writing and fresh material about anti-obscenity campaigns focused on movies, burlesque, and vaudeville, Against Obscenity will engage those interested in First Amendment issues, women, and sexuality. -- Helen Lefkowitz Horowitz, Smith College An excellent book. Wheeler's nuanced and persuasive argument represents a major contribution to the history of sexuality and women's history. Carefully researched and well written, Against Obscenity avoids gender essentialism and balances women's individual and organizational campaigns with the contexts of national politics. Wheeler has a keen eye for important historical questions and she knows how to tell a good story. -- Estelle B. Freedman, Stanford University Makes a definite contribution to an understudied aspect of American political history, namely the impact of woman suffrage on important issues in American political and social life. It makes clear not only why female anti-obscenity reformers failed but also how male politicians used divisions among post-suffrage women to limit women's power. An excellent piece of research and conceptualization. -- Elisabeth Israels Perry, St. Louis University
About the Author
Leigh Ann Wheeler is an associate professor of history and American Culture Studies at Bowling Green State University.
Reviews
What constitutes obscenity is a contentious issue, and Wheeler makes it clear that historically, it has been dangerous ground for feminists... Her analysis is convincing. Choice 2005 Wheeler's account of the anti-obscenity campaign illuminates the importance of gender to that history; she seamlessly explores the movement as it shifted from the local to the national level; and she meticulously recounts the day-to-day struggles women faced. Along the way, she draws on an impressive list of archival sources to reconstruct women's involvement in the campaign, provides a detailed account of the victories and hardships women experienced as they attempted to shape the... anti-obscenity movement, and offers a thoughtful and well-argued addition to a growing number of studies about women activists and how their concerns for mothers and children shaped public policy. American Historical Review 2005 Tells the complicated and compelling story of women's meteoric rise to prominence in competing branches of the anti-obscenity movement prior to and immediately following passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, and their arguably more rapid exit from the scene during the late 1920s and early 1930s... A superbly written book. -- Heather Lee Miller Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1600-2000 2005 A welcome addition to the growing historiography of obscenity and censorship. In its solid research, Wheeler's book is [also] an important addition to the historiography of grassroots struggles over free speech and other rights in twentieth-century America. Journal of American History In this important book, Leigh Ann Wheeler examines a little-discussed corner of popular culture, women's campaigns to regulate 'obscenity' in the late 1800[s] and early 1900s. Those interested in issues of obscenity and the development of the concept of free speech in the United States will find Wheeler's work compelling. -- Lisa K. Boehm Journal of Popular Culture Wheeler has uncovered a fascinating chapter in the story of women's perennial attempts to protect children and vulnerable young women from the dangers of commercial vice. Her study considers several of these dangers, such as prostitution and burlesque shows, but focuses above all on the new medium of film. -- Cynthia Eagle Russett H-Net Book Review/H-SHGAPE Deftly illuminates the 'possibilities in our past' while addressing the complex struggles of women and citizens in more recent times. -- Hiroshi Kitamura American Quarterly 2006 The study gives a very good sense of the anti-obscenity reform activity and concern in the period under study. -- Encarna Trinidad Journal of American Studies 2006 This is a very good book about an important topic. -- Rebecca J. Mead Journal of Social History 2007 Wheeler's impressively researched study is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of anti-obscenity reform and women's activism in general. -- Christine Erickson American Studies
Book Information
ISBN 9780801886386
Author Leigh Ann Wheeler
Format Paperback
Page Count 272
Imprint Johns Hopkins University Press
Publisher Johns Hopkins University Press
Weight(grams) 431g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 18mm
A provocative study of debates about obscenity on the local level. Wheeler's book provides much-needed perspective on the late feminist 'porn wars,' and, finally, gives women activists on both sides of the debate their due. -- Andrea Friedman, Washington University Beautifully written and beautifully crafted. It makes a strikingly original argument: that in redefining the meaning of obscenity, women reformers legitimized sexual education. Rather than portraying early twentieth-century debates over obscenity as a part of a continuous battle between the forces of 'repression' and 'enlightenment,' Leigh Ann Wheeler identifies key moments in these early sex wars, skillfully elucidating the changing significance of gender. Placing her subject in the broadest possible context, she analyzes its legacy for the sex wars of the 1980s and beyond. In short, Against Obscenity achieves a rare balance: it manages to be scholarly, accessible-and relevant. -- Wendy Gamber, Indiana University Against Obscenity is a significant study of women's anti-obscenity activism in America in the Progressive and New Deal years, offering an important look at female political engagement as it crossed the 1920 suffrage divide. Because regional leaders connected with national movements and moved onto a wider stage, the book is more than a study of a local crusade. With its lively writing and fresh material about anti-obscenity campaigns focused on movies, burlesque, and vaudeville, Against Obscenity will engage those interested in First Amendment issues, women, and sexuality. -- Helen Lefkowitz Horowitz, Smith College An excellent book. Wheeler's nuanced and persuasive argument represents a major contribution to the history of sexuality and women's history. Carefully researched and well written, Against Obscenity avoids gender essentialism and balances women's individual and organizational campaigns with the contexts of national politics. Wheeler has a keen eye for important historical questions and she knows how to tell a good story. -- Estelle B. Freedman, Stanford University Makes a definite contribution to an understudied aspect of American political history, namely the impact of woman suffrage on important issues in American political and social life. It makes clear not only why female anti-obscenity reformers failed but also how male politicians used divisions among post-suffrage women to limit women's power. An excellent piece of research and conceptualization. -- Elisabeth Israels Perry, St. Louis University
About the Author
Leigh Ann Wheeler is an associate professor of history and American Culture Studies at Bowling Green State University.
Reviews
What constitutes obscenity is a contentious issue, and Wheeler makes it clear that historically, it has been dangerous ground for feminists... Her analysis is convincing. Choice 2005 Wheeler's account of the anti-obscenity campaign illuminates the importance of gender to that history; she seamlessly explores the movement as it shifted from the local to the national level; and she meticulously recounts the day-to-day struggles women faced. Along the way, she draws on an impressive list of archival sources to reconstruct women's involvement in the campaign, provides a detailed account of the victories and hardships women experienced as they attempted to shape the... anti-obscenity movement, and offers a thoughtful and well-argued addition to a growing number of studies about women activists and how their concerns for mothers and children shaped public policy. American Historical Review 2005 Tells the complicated and compelling story of women's meteoric rise to prominence in competing branches of the anti-obscenity movement prior to and immediately following passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, and their arguably more rapid exit from the scene during the late 1920s and early 1930s... A superbly written book. -- Heather Lee Miller Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1600-2000 2005 A welcome addition to the growing historiography of obscenity and censorship. In its solid research, Wheeler's book is [also] an important addition to the historiography of grassroots struggles over free speech and other rights in twentieth-century America. Journal of American History In this important book, Leigh Ann Wheeler examines a little-discussed corner of popular culture, women's campaigns to regulate 'obscenity' in the late 1800[s] and early 1900s. Those interested in issues of obscenity and the development of the concept of free speech in the United States will find Wheeler's work compelling. -- Lisa K. Boehm Journal of Popular Culture Wheeler has uncovered a fascinating chapter in the story of women's perennial attempts to protect children and vulnerable young women from the dangers of commercial vice. Her study considers several of these dangers, such as prostitution and burlesque shows, but focuses above all on the new medium of film. -- Cynthia Eagle Russett H-Net Book Review/H-SHGAPE Deftly illuminates the 'possibilities in our past' while addressing the complex struggles of women and citizens in more recent times. -- Hiroshi Kitamura American Quarterly 2006 The study gives a very good sense of the anti-obscenity reform activity and concern in the period under study. -- Encarna Trinidad Journal of American Studies 2006 This is a very good book about an important topic. -- Rebecca J. Mead Journal of Social History 2007 Wheeler's impressively researched study is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of anti-obscenity reform and women's activism in general. -- Christine Erickson American Studies
Book Information
ISBN 9780801886386
Author Leigh Ann Wheeler
Format Paperback
Page Count 272
Imprint Johns Hopkins University Press
Publisher Johns Hopkins University Press
Weight(grams) 431g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 18mm
