Kathleen Lubey. What Pornography Knows: Sex and Social Protest since the Eighteenth Century Redwood City: Stanford University Press, 2022. Pp. 312. 28. 00 (paper).

Key Points

• The central aim is to explore how pornography has influenced and reflected social protest movements since the 18th century.
• Literature review of historical texts
• Analysis of cultural critiques
• Examination of pornography's role in social movements
• Illustrates the evolution of pornography's social context from the 18th century to present
• Highlights the impact of sexual expression on political and social discourse
• Discusses the relationship between censorship, freedom of expression, and social change