Pornography and democratization

the long version

In this book, Paul Goldschmidt explores the politics of pornography and censorship in Russia today as a facet of the overall process of creating a liberal democracy in the former Soviet Union. The author clarifies the complex Western debate over pornography by suggesting four basic paradigms that underlie legislative approaches to pornography: conservatism, libertarianism, anti-pornography feminism, and anti-censorship feminism. Using newly-available archival material and exclusive interviews, the author explores the reaction of Russian officials to the problem of free speech. In the process, two indigenous alternatives to the response of censorship appear: the civil rights approach and the sex-education approach. The conclusion is that these new approaches provide an encouraging sign of progress towards Russia's goal of creating democracy.