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COLLECTION Identifier: 90-M153--2003-M133: T-434

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

  • Creation: 1979-1989

Creator

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Collection includes correspondence, reports and studies, press releases, published and unpublished articles, material re: pornography legislation and sex discrimination cases, audiotapes of a 1987 conference, and clippings.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

  1. Carton 1: 1-51
  2. Carton 2: 52-91
  3. Carton 3: 92-132
  4. Carton 4: 133-216
  5. Carton 5: 217-264
  6. Carton 6: 265-326
  7. Carton 7: 327-404
  8. Carton 8: 405-500
  9. Carton 9: 501-586
  10. Carton 10: 587-626
  11. Box 11: 627-706
  12. Carton 12: 707-765
  13. Carton 13: 766-824
  14. Carton 14: 825-912
  15. Carton 15: 913-977
  16. Box 16: CLOSED. See Inventory
  17. Box 17: T-434.1--T-434.9

Processing Information

Preliminary inventory: November 1997

By: Susan von Salis

Updated: April 2017

By: Anne Engelhart

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.

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