Synopses & Reviews
"The seven essays in Sex and Russian Society, by Russians and Western scholars, graphically describe the consequences of decades of sexual neglect, illiteracy and repression.... Sex and Russian Society... reveals that beneath the repressive model of official morality an evolution in sexual mores was taking place, particularly among the young.... The book's most alarming, though not unexpected, message is that homosexuals and women are bearing the brunt of a disintegrating health care system and repressive sexual attitudes and stereotypes." --Katrina vanden Heuvel, The Nation
Here is the first serious study of the main aspects of sexuality in Russian society today, with contributors from both inside and outside the former Soviet Union. From the 1930s, sex was kept out of the public eye in the former USSR. Low contraceptive use, high abortion rates, intolerance toward homosexuals, and inadequate measures to combat AIDS are some of the consequences of the long neglect and repression of sexual culture.
About the Author
IGOR KON is a member of the Russian Academy of Pedagogical Sciences. His many publications include The Psychology of Young People and Introduction to Sexology. JAMES RIORDAN, Professor of Russian Studies at the University of Surrey, is co-editor (with Sue Bridger) of Dear Comrade Editor: Letters to the Editor of the Soviet Press.
Table of Contents
Contributors
Introduction
James Riordan
1. Sexuality and Culture
Igor Kon
2. Patterns of Birth Control
Larissa I. Remennick
3. Sex and the Cinema
Lynne Attwood
4. Sexual Minorities
Igor Kon
5. Soviet Beauty Contests
Elizabeth Waters
6. Sex and Young People
Sergei Golod
7. Medical Sexology
Lev Shcheglov
Index