Records of Women Against Pornography, 1979-1989
Overview
Correspondence, reports, studies, press releases, audiotapes, etc., of Women Against Pornography, established to educate men and women about what it saw as the essence of pornography: the degradation, objectification, and brutalization of women.
Dates
- 1979-1989
Creator
- Women Against Pornography (Organization)
Language of Materials
Materials in English.
Access Restrictions:
Access. One half file box of records containing letters with the sensitive content is temporarily CLOSED to research. Researchers wishing to see the remaining records must first sign a special form. An appointment is necessary to use any audiovisual material.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright. Women Against Pornography retains copyright in the records through 2022 or until the deaths of founders Dolores Alexander, Susan Brownmiller, and Dorchen Leidholdt, whichever occurs first.
Copying. Open papers may be copied in accordance with the library's usual procedures.
Extent
15.42 linear feet ((15 cartons, two half file boxes) plus 11 audiotapes)Collection includes correspondence, reports and studies, press releases, published and unpublished articles, material re: pornography legislation and sex discrimination cases, audiotapes of a 1987 conference, and clippings. Material received in 2003 (accession number 2003-M13) was added to the collection in April 2017 and is housed in Box 17.
The folder titles are those of Women Against Pornography; information added by the archivist appears in square brackets.
HISTORY
Founded in 1979 by Susan Brownmiller and others, Women Against Pornography sought to educate men and women about what it saw as the essence of pornography: the degradation, objectification, and brutalization of women. To this end it offered slide shows and lectures, maintained a referral service for victims of sexual exploitation, compiled statistics, organized protests, and sponsored tours of New York City's Times Square area. Women Against Pornography was disbanded in 1990.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Accession numbers: 90-M153, 2003-M133. Accession number 2003-M133 was added in April 2017.
These records of Women Against Pornography were given to the Schlesinger Library by Women Against Pornography in September 1990. The audiotapes were probably purchased by the Schlesinger Library in the late 1980s.
CONTAINER LIST
- Carton 1: 1-51
- Carton 2: 52-91
- Carton 3: 92-132
- Carton 4: 133-216
- Carton 5: 217-264
- Carton 6: 265-326
- Carton 7: 327-404
- Carton 8: 405-500
- Carton 9: 501-586
- Carton 10: 587-626
- Box 11: 627-706
- Carton 12: 707-765
- Carton 13: 766-824
- Carton 14: 825-912
- Carton 15: 913-977
- Box 16: CLOSED. See Inventory
- Box 17: T-434.1--T-434.9
Processing Information
Preliminary inventory: November 1997
By: Susan von Salis
Updated: April 2017
By: Anne Engelhart
Creator
- Women Against Pornography (Organization)
- Title
- Women Against Pornography. Records of Women Against Pornography, 1979-1989: A Finding Aid
- Author
- Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America
- Language of description
- eng
- EAD ID
- sch00980
Repository Details
Part of the Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute Repository
The preeminent research library on the history of women in the United States, the Schlesinger Library documents women's lives from the past and present for the future. In addition to its traditional strengths in the history of feminisms, women’s health, and women’s activism, the Schlesinger collections document the intersectional workings of race and ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class in American history.