In recent years, scholars have placed pornography within the mainstream of emerging Western society. Robert Darnton has established the overlap between Enlightenment thinkers and erotic pamphleteers. Iain McCalman has shown that ardent revolutionaries in England used pornography as a way to delegitimize the British monarchy. Malek Alloula has tied the erotic postcard to imperialism. In spite of these important studies, scholars have only begun to engage recent forms of pornography like photographs, ephemera, pulp fiction, magazines, film, and videos.

”The Refinement of Modern Pornography,1800-2000” will rectify this omission. The Refinement of Modern Pornography will bring together scholars to chart the myriad transformations and meanings of pornography in modern European society. A top academic press has already committed to the project and five senior scholars from film studies, women's studies, literary and cultural studies, and history have committed to contributing essays.

Papers on a national pornographic tradition (Spanish, German, French), on a specific pornographic trope or theme (incest, fellatio, images of women), on an important period (such as Weimar Germany, Sweden in the 1960s), on an important text or group of texts (including literature, images, film), on individual pornographers or groups of pornographers, or on consumers of pornography would be welcome. Studies of the history of pornographic film would be particularly useful.

Papers should be based on original, scholarly research and should be roughly 35-50 pages in length. Abstracts and a short c.v. or completed papers can be sent through email or through regular mail to L. Sigel at the address below.

Queries, questions, or requests for fuller explanation of the project can besent to the email address below.

Abstracts: 4/15/2002
Completed papers: 10/1/2002