Distribution Matters: Feminist Bookstores as Cultural Interaction Spaces

To investigate the historical case of North American feminist bookstores, I use archival materials, interviews, and surveys to consider how cultural distribution sites affect the acquisition and interpretation of cultural objects. The findings point to the importance and variety of distributor conditions, including physical space, atmosphere, bookseller characteristics, stock, and audience members. I develop the concept of the cultural interaction space, defined as a location where a distributor, its cultural objects, and its audience converge. These spaces provide opportunities for interaction, observation, and experimentation with both tangible and intangible cultural materials, as well as for identity formation and the development of group solidarity. Future research should consider how variations in cultural distributors and in cultural interaction spaces affect audience reception, interpretation, and use of cultural objects.