DANGEROUS RELATIONSHIPS: PORNOGRAPHY, MISOGYNY, AND RAPE

(Revised, expanded edition of Against Pornography: The Evidence of Harm, Berkeley, CA: Russell Publications, 1994.)

Diana E. Russell, well-known for her pioneer research on the prevalence of rape and child sexual abuse, the reality of wife rape, the trauma of incestuous abuse, and the misogynistic killing of women (femicide), breaks new ground once again in her analysis of pornography and its relationship with misogyny and rape.

In this unflinching and uncompromising volume Russell contends that pornographic relationships are in fact dangerous to women. Dangerous Relationships begins by dealing with the vexing and thorny issue defining pornography, then considers the various types of pornographic materials that are commonly available. Russell turns to the notion that hatred of women is a predominant aspect of pornography and that racist undercurrents are often exploited in visual pornography of all types. She examines the notion of pornography as a cause of rape and provides a rich body of statistical evidence supporting the relationship. Dangerous Relationships argues forcefully that pornography indeed has victims and is a call to arms against the misogyny it engenders.

Because pornography is increasingly accessible through the Internet, CD-ROMS, digital cameras, and other new technology, it is important for scholars in the fields of violence against women, child abuse, interpersonal violence, deviant psychology, sociology, and criminal justice to be aware of the contents and consequences of pornography.

Praise for Dangerous Relationships:

"Diana E. H. Russell's Dangerous Relationships makes a unique and valuable contribution to the ongoing discussion of pornography's harms to women and children. Dr. Russell describes the relevant materials vividly and synthesizes current empirical research informatively. She offers an original, powerful, cohesive, compelling, and smart theory of the ways pornography causally promotes sexual abuse. Her lucid analysis and accessible style make this a book for scholars and the general public alike."

-- Catharine A. MacKinnon, Michigan Law School

"Until women insisted on the truth of our experience, rape was thought to be about sex. Now we know it is about power, humiliation, and control. Until Diana E. H. Russell's Dangerous Relationships, readers may have thought that pornography was about sex. Now it will be clear that it is about woman-hatred: pornography is to females what Nazi literature is to Jews, and Ku Klux Klan propaganda is to blacks. Read this book. Give it to everyone you know. Expose and boycott a $10 billion-a-year pornography industry that is twice the size of Hollywood."

-- Gloria Steinem

"Dangerous Relationships describes a group of more than a hundred pornographic pictures and reviews research on the relationship between pornography and the victimization of women. The value of the central text of the book is beyond compare, as Diana E. H.. Russell relentlessly pursues her thesis that pornography not only demeans and humiliates women, it also motivates men to victimize women in numerous ways. Russell's arguments are always carefully thought out, clearly stated in the most parsimonious manner, and fearless in their challenging of common stereotypes held by professionals and the lay public alike. . . . Anyone interested in rape, pornography, or the relation between them, as well as the broader victimization of women must read this book. It is one of the most forthright, innovative and exciting treatments of these topics that you will ever read in your life."

-- Lee Bowker, Humboldt State University

"Diana Russell's argument concerning the causal connection between pornography and violence against women is lucid and persuasive. After distinguishing between pornography and erotica, Russell describes misogynist pornographic depictions from cartoons through photographic imagery, mainstream and hardcore, giving readers an invaluable and unique resource. This is an insightful, committed, and courageous work."

-- Jane Caputi, Florida Atlantic University

"Diana Russell is an eminent scholar with a distinguished academic career as a professor of sociology, and an international reputation for the quality of her research in the field of sexual exploitation. She is also a feminist anti-pornography activist. In Dangerous Relationships, she brings together and builds on all of this. Most women and some men think pornography is `just sex.' They are unaware of the violence and abuse, and the dehumanization and degradation of women in pornography, or of the bigotry, contempt, and hatred of women it fosters, or the evidence of harm experienced by women and children in the making of pornography or as a result of its use. The pornography industry thrives on this ignorance. In this book Professor Russell argues the case against pornography with scientific evidence of the causal relationship between pornography and sexual violence."

-- Catherine Itzin, PhD. Research Professor, University of Sunderland

"In Dangerous Relationships: Pornography, Misogyny, and Rape, Diana Russell brings her long feminist career as a rigorous scholar and deeply committed activist together to confront pornography. Here she definitively establishes causal connections between pornography and rape. Relying on her own in-depth research and the most up-to-date work in the field, Russell makes us see pornography today in all of its woman-hating manifestations. Dangerous Relationships is a must read call to action to feminists and everyone who hopes for a world that has taken control over its violence and decadence."

-- Kathleen Barry, Pennsylvania State University

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AGAINST PORNOGRAPHY: THE EVIDENCE OF HARM

Because Dr. Diana Russell believes that seeing pornography is the most powerful evidence of the woman-hatred inherent in it, she reprinted over 100 examples of pornographic photographs in her book, Against Pornography: The Evidence of Harm (1994). She chose to risk being sued for publishing these pictures because she was unwilling to obtain permission from the pornographers.

Against Pornography also contains a succinct summary of some of the major scientific research on this subject, and an explication of her original and convincing theory of how pornography causes rape.

Praise for Against Pornography:

"Diana Russell has given us the ultimate proof of the impact and reality of pornography. Anyone who believes it to be less harmful than Nazi, Ku Klux Klan, and other hate/atrocity literature, or who imagines its opponents to be anti-sex or pro-censorship, must face the facts and images in Against Pornography.... Used properly, it could save women's lives."

-- Gloria Steinem, A founder of Ms. magazine and author of Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions

"Diana Russell's careful analysis of the causal connection between pornography and rape in AGAINST PORNOGRAPHY is the most lucid and persuasive I have read. After distinguishing between pornography and erotica, Diana has reprinted standard woman-hating, vicious and violent pornographic depicitions -- from cartoons through hard-core porn. Now when we speak about pornography we all will know precisely what we are talking about. Bravo and thank you Diana Russell for your brilliant analysis, your courage and committment."

-- Jane Caputi, Ph.D., Professor and author of The Age of Sex Crime.

"Even in our wildest imaginations, most women are unable to fathom the vicious acts done to women by the pornography industry in the name of free speech, profit, pleasure, and, yes, entertainment. Facing head-on the hatred and contempt for women exposed in visual pornography, as much as it hurts, fuels our anger and a lot of incendiary activism."

-- Nikki Craft, Feminist activist against pornography and other forms of woman-hatred.

"As they say: 'A picture is worth a thousand words.' Add Diana Russell's carefully chosen words to the picture she is showing us, and suddenly, unexpectedly, one realizes that this has never been done before. No academic has ever dared to reproduce the pornographic images themselves and then commented upon them. The effect is profoundly enlightening, sobering and challenging. Brava, Diana, for your determination and orginality."

-- Phyllis Chesler, Ph.D., Professor and author of Women and Madness.

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MAKING VIOLENCE SEXY: FEMINIST VIEWS ON PORNOGRAPHY

MAKING VIOLENCE SEXY (1993) is a much-needed anthology edited by Diana Russell that includes vivid and moving personal accounts of how women's lives have been damaged by pornography; a thorough overview of the present status of pornography in our society and the raging debate over pornography and censorship; several interesting and significant studies on the effects of pornography, as well as critiques of some of the most influential non-feminist pornography researchers; and descriptions of actions, both humorous and grave, that feminists have employed in their fight against pornography. Contributors include: Patricia Hill Collins, Nikki Craft, Andrea Dworkin, Evelina Giobbe, Catharine MacKinnon, Gloria Steinem, and John Stoltenberg.

Praise for Making Violence Sexy:

"A crucially important collection of feminist voices challenging the pornocrats. Even if you read nothing else on the subject, read this."

-- Robin Morgan, author of The Anatomy of Freedom

"MAKING VIOLENCE SEXY is the best general source on eroticized woman-abuse and its effects. There is a feeling of insight and intellectual excitement in these pages, and of anger and determination."

-- Robert Brannon, Ph.D., Professor and anti-porn researcher

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THE POLITICS OF RAPE

In her pioneering book, The Politics of Rape (1975), Dr. Russell was among the first feminist writers to offer a revolutionary new understanding of rape as a manifestation of sexism.

Praise for The Politics of Rape

"In a series of detailed and beautifully executed interviews with rape victims, Russell roots out the taboos and bagaboos that are often hinted at but rarely expressed when rape is the subject of discussion.... THE POLITICS OF RAPE is one hell of a courageous book. It was meant not only as an exposition of a situation, but as a tool for political change."

-- David Graber, author of Human Behavior

"There aren't many books that seem worth recommending to everyone, so Diana Russell's THE POLITICS OF RAPE is truly exceptional.... This is the best book I know of on the subject of the all-American crime of rape."

-- Women's Press

"Framed by a lucid, tough-minded analysis by Russell, this is probably the best introduction to rape now in print."

-- Rolling Stone

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THE SECRET TRAUMA: INCEST IN THE LIVES OF GIRLS AND WOMEN

The brilliant methodology of Dr. Russell's random sample survey of sexual assault in San Francisco laid the groundwork for a radically new understanding of sexual violence in the contemporary United States. Many scholars consider The Secret Trauma: Incest in the Lives of Girls and Women (1986), to be the definitive scientific study of incestuous abuse. In it she provides the first rigorous assessments of the shockingly high prevalence of incestuous and extrafamilial child sexual abuse. Her finding that more than one out of every three girls in her survey has been a victim of child sexual abuse has become the most widely accepted statistic for this form of sexual violation.

Praise for The Secret Trauma:

"Diana Russell has a rare ability to combine dispassionate scholarship with passionate commitment to the cause of women. With daring and persistence, she documents the fact that incest is endemic to our culture. This is a definitive work which will be used as a point of reference for years to come."

-- Judith Herman, M.D., Professor, psychiatrist and author of Father-Daughter Incest

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RAPE IN MARRIAGE

Drawing on the results of her San Francisco survey, Dr. Russell wrote the first book ever published on Rape in Marriage (1982) at a time when husbands were still exempted from prosecution for raping their wives in the vast majority of states.

Praise for Rape In Marriage:

"This is a groundbreaking contribution to the literature on sexual assault and family violence from a compassionate scholar who is also a leading feminist theoretician."

-- Susan Brownmiller, author of Against Our Will

"The fundamental purpose of Russell's research was to contribute to the swift abolition of sexual violence from contemporary life, and Rape in Marriage serves that purpose brilliantly."

-- Benjamin DeMott, Ph.D.

"[Russell] has done a superb study which yields comprehensive and undeniable findings about a subject no one had even whispered about before .... A classic work."

-- Phyllis Chesler, Ph.D., author of Mothers On Trial

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SEXUAL EXPLOITATION: RAPE, CHILD ABUSE, AND WORKPLACE HARASSMENT

Dr. Russell also used her survey data to arrive at the most soundly-based estimates of the prevalence of rape available in 1984. Sexual Exploitation: Rape, Child Sexual Abuse, and Workplace Harassment (1984) shows that these three different forms of sexual assault are caused by many of the same social and cultural factors.

Praise for Sexual Exploitation

"Russell's survey on sexual assault is the best that's been done.... She convincingly shows that sexual expolitation occurs in mammoth proportions, and she presents the first hard data to answer dozens of questions.... This is a giant step forward in our accumulation of knowledge about rape, sexual abuse, and sexual harassment."

-- David Finkelhor, Ph.D., author of Sourcebook On Child Sexual Abuse

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FEMICIDE: THE POLITICS OF WOMAN KILLING

Coining the term "femicide," Dr. Russell and Jill Radford documented the widespread occurrence of misogynist murders of women in an edited volume, Femicide: The Politics of Woman Killing(1992). This superb collection helps us to understand this seriously neglected form of violence against women.

Praise for Femicide:

"This creative collection defines for the first time where the sexist face of genocide meets the genocidal face of sexism. Femicide is a milestone in comprehending a social world that wants--even loves--women dead."

-- Catharine MacKinnon, Ph.D., Law Professor and author of Feminism Unmodified.

"A powerful and informative book, FEMICIDE places the subject of woman killing in its frighteningly 'normal' context. The result is a cross-cultural and historical study -- from witch burning to suttee, from female infanticide to the traffic in sexual slaves, from the propaganda of violent pornography to the politics of patriarchy. A stunning 'must-read' book."

-- Robin Morgan, editor of Sisterhood is Global

"The first of its kind -- and a classic. This book should be required reading for everyone: college students and their professors, policy makers and businesspeople, lawyers and judges, police officers and members of the clergy. It raises our consciousness and inspires resistance to femicide."

-- Phyllis Chesler, Ph.D., author of Patriarchy

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LIVES OF COURAGE: WOMEN FOR A NEW SOUTH AFRICA

Dr. Russell's book, Lives of Courage: Women for a New South Africa (1989), was one of the first feminist books to be published in South Africa. Although it focuses on women's unsung contributions to the anti-apartheid struggle, it also presents for the first time the objections to sexism by many of these women.

Praise for Lives of Courage:

"When I read a book such as this, I fairly burst with pride and expectation--pride that South African soil has produced such indomitable women and not the least the author herself; and expectation at the contributions such women will continue to make in a post-apartheid South Africa. This remarkable book is a manifesto of hope. May it be an inspiration to many."

-- Desmond Tutu, Anglican Archbishop and Nobel Prize-winner

"It is a blessing just to live on the same earth as these women."

-- Alice Walker, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of The Color Purple

"Diana Russell has produced a timely tribute to the heroism of women in the forefront of the fight against apartheid."

-- Donald Woods, author of Biko

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CRIMES AGAINST WOMEN

In 1974 Dr. Russell envisioned a global conference where women would gather together from all over the world to protest our experiences of discrimination, violence, and torture by men. The first International Tribunal on Crimes Against Women came to fruition in Brussels in March 1976. As well as being a key organizer of what Simone de Beauvoir described as "a great historic event," Dr. Russell co-authored (with Nicole Van de Ven) a book about this global speak out (Crimes Against Women, 1976).

Praise for Crimes Against Women

"Crimes Against Women is a miracle. For the first time in 5,000 years, the enforced silence of women around the world has been broken. The testimonies are inspiring, dreadful, objective, and overwhelmingly moving."

-- Phyllis Chesler, Ph.D., Professor and author of Feminist Foremothers

"This is a document of integrity of extreme importance to feminists everywhere."

-- Susan Brownmiller, author of Femininity

"The role of Mills College sociology professor Diana Russell in helping to plan and organize the tribunal, and in afterwards collecting the documentation and producing this book, is worthy of a study in itself.... Many women worked with her ... but the miracle of turning transcripts and hundreds of scraps of notes into a book is Diana Russell's."

-- Elise Boulding, Ph.D.

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EXPOSING NUCLEAR PHALLACIES

Exposing Nuclear Phallacies (1989) is a powerful international collection of articles edited by Dr. Russell which tackles a subject of the utmost urgency and importance to us all, taking as its theme the significance of socialized gender differences in the origin and perpetuation of the nuclear threat. Exposing Nuclear Phallacies, honored as an outstanding book on human rights in the United States by the Gustavus Myers Center, is an important text for women's studies, feminist theory, peace studies, social movements and social problems.

Praise for Exposing Nuclear Phallacies:

"EXPOSING NUCLEAR PHALLACIES poses an urgent challenge to women all over the world to intervene against the nuclear threat. Written by an impressive collection of feminist activists and scholars, this book offers a prescription for radical change, which, it posits, only women are capable of bringing about."

-- Susan Davis

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AGAINST SADOMASOCHISM: A RADICAL FEMINIST ANALYSIS

Dr. Russell, together with Robin Linden, Darlene Pagano and Susan Leigh Star, edited Against Sadomasochism (1982), a courageous and groundbreaking anthology in which 26 countributors critique the defense and practice of sadomasochism as compatible with feminists principles. Most of the essays focus on sadomasochism in the lesbian community. They reject the claim by somw women pro-sm advocates that heterosexual sadomasochism is sexist and harmful but lesbian sodomasochism is liberating and healthy. The accounts of survivors of sadomasochism about the destructiveness of sm in their lives is particularly compelling. Contributors include Kathleen Barry, Susan Griffin, Sarah Hoagland, Audre Lorde, Robin Morgan, John Stoltenberg, and Alice Walker.

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BEHIND CLOSED DOORS IN WHITE SOUTH AFRICA: INCEST SURVIVORS TELL THEIR STORIES

The intent of Behind Closed Doors (1997) is to tear away the veil of secrecy that surrounds incestuous abuse in white South Africa by presenting five in-depth personal accounts of this heinous form of sexual exploitation as told by the survivors. Another objective is to explore the connections between the often cruel sexual exploitation of girls by their white male relatives and the brutal exploitation of black people by white men in South Africa.

The stories in Behind Closed Doors will open the doors of white homes in which incest has occurred -- doors that have been closed until now -- to expose some of the best-kept secrets of these white South Africans. In doing so, Dr. Russell hopes to add a new dimension to our understanding of the white South African mentality.

Praise for Behind Closed Doors:

"The case studies in Behind Closed Doors are remarkable for detail, insight and communicative prose; masterpieces of the ethnographic literature. Students were blown away. Although based in South Africa, Behind Closed Doors says more about incest in America than any book I can recall."

-- Professor Lee Bowker, Professor of sociology at Humboldt State University and author of several books on battered women

"Behind Closed Doors is a horrible but gripping account of the incestuous abuse of girls at the hands of their fathers, stepfathers and other male relatives. At the end of each woman's story the evil of this crime is unspeakably clear."

-- Trish Beaver, reporter for the Sunday Tribune, South Africa

"Russell, who was born in South Africa, breaks through the wall of secrecy surrounding incest in that community, and explores the night-follows-day relationship between repressive patriarchal politics and family structures, connecting the sexual exploitation of young girls by their white male relatives to the brutal exploitation of black people by white men during apartheid."

-- Lauren Sandler, Ms. Magazine

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