The Sexual State: Sexuality and Scottish Governance 1950-80

Roger Davidson; Gayle Davis

Published by Edinburgh University Press 2012

The Sexual State

Sexuality and Scottish Governance 1950-80

Roger Davidson and Gayle Davis

https://doi.org/10.1515/9780748649433

Overview
Contents

About this book

How did the Scottish government respond to sexual attitudes and behaviour in the period 1950 to 1980?

'In this ground-breaking book, Roger Davidson and Gayle Davis examine sexualities and their relation to, and their shaping through, interplay with governance in Scotland in the post-war era up to the administration of Margaret Thatcher. This largely untold and fascinating history not only illuminates a significant lacuna in Scots contemporary history, but also brings considerable nuance and regional comparative element to the now burgeoning scholarship of the contemporary history of sexuality in Britain. … This is an indispensable volume in the historiography of sexualities in Britain, and should be valued by all working in this field.' – Sean Brady, Social History of Medicine, July 2013

In exploring the role of the state in the regulation of modern sexuality, historians have largely overlooked the policy-making process in Scotland. Davidson and Davis lead us through the Scottish sexual landscape leading up to the global crisis of HIV/AIDS, analysing post-war state policy towards issues such as abortion, family planning, homosexuality, pornography, prostitution, sex education and sexual heath.

How progressive were Scottish policy makers during this period of rapid social change? The book charts the ongoing struggle between progressive and moralistic agendas within sexual politics at both a national and local level. How far did the puritanical elements of Scottish Presbyterianism continue to inhibit policy and to what degree did policy makers empower a broader range of sexual behaviours and moderate the traditional surveillance and censure of female sexuality? Finally, in what respects did Scotland's national identity affect the engagement of the Scottish state with sexual issues?

Key Features

Adds an important Scottish perspective to the study of sexuality and policy-making in modern society. There are few resources for the student of Scotland's sexual history and its political and social context.
Provides a significant addition to the history of sexuality in 20th-century Britain
Makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the later 20th-century Scottish state, and especially the local state
Adds to our knowledge of the shaping of policy on key issues relating to sexual morality in modern society including abortion, censorship, family planning, homosexuality, prostitution, sex education, and sexually transmitted diseases

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Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
CONTENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	v
List of Tables Publicly Available Download PDF	vi
Acknowledgements Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Abbreviations Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
1. Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
PART I. SEXUAL OFFENCES
2. Female Prostitution Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	13
3. Homosexual Law Reform, 1950–67 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	41
4. Homosexual Law Reform, 1967–80 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	67
PART II. REPRODUCTIVE ISSUES
5. Abortion Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	97
6. Family Planning Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	127
PART III. DISEASE AND ENLIGHTENMENT
7. Sexual Health Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	159
8. School Sex Education Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	186
PART IV. SEX AND CENSORSHIP
19. Moral Censorship and the State in the 1950s Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	215
10. Sex, Censorship and Scottish Governance in the 1960s Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	235
11. Policing Pornography and Obscenity in the 1970s Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	262
12. Conclusion Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	294
Sources and Select Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	303
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	317

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
Audience: College/higher education;
Pages
- Main content: 336
Keywords: Scottish Studies

eBook

Published: April 12, 2012
ISBN: 9780748649433