Erotic Innocence

The Culture of Child Molesting

Author: James Russell Kincaid
ISBN: 9780822321774

In Erotic Innocence James R. Kincaid explores contemporary America's preoccupation with stories about the sexual abuse of children. Claiming that our culture has yet to come to terms with the bungled legacy of Victorian sexuality, Kincaid examines how children and images of youth are idealized, fetishized, and eroticized in everyday culture. Evoking the cyclic elements of Gothic narrative, he thoughtfully and convincingly concludes that the only way to break this cycle is to acknowledge—and confront—not only the sensuality of children but the eroticism loaded onto them. Drawing on a number of wide-ranging and well-publicized cases as well as scandals involving such celebrities as Michael Jackson and Woody Allen, Kincaid looks at issues surrounding children's testimonies, accusations against priests and day-care centers, and the horrifying yet persistently intriguing rumors of satanic cults and “kiddie porn” rings. In analyzing the particular form of popularity shared by such ch

Publisher: Duke University Press
Publish Date: 1998

Subjects: Self-Help / Abuse, Social Science / Criminology, Social Science / Popular Culture, Social Science / Sociology / General

This book is available in the following Community Centers: Women's Center (Location: Incest/Child Abuse)