Reading and Contesting Germaine Greer and Dennis Altman: The 1970s and Beyond

Edited book (chapter)

Piccini, Jon and Stevenson, Ana. 2019. "Reading and Contesting Germaine Greer and Dennis Altman: The 1970s and Beyond." Piccini, Jon, Smith, Evan and Worley, Matthew (ed.) The Far Left in Australia since 1945. London. Routledge. pp. 249-266
Chapter Title

Reading and Contesting Germaine Greer and Dennis Altman: The 1970s and Beyond

Book Chapter CategoryEdited book (chapter)
ERA Publisher ID3137
Book TitleThe Far Left in Australia since 1945
AuthorsPiccini, Jon (Author) and Stevenson, Ana
EditorsPiccini, Jon, Smith, Evan and Worley, Matthew
Page Range249-266
SeriesRoutledge Studies in Radical History and Politics
Chapter Number13
Number of Pages18
Year2019
PublisherRoutledge
Place of PublicationLondon
ISBN9781138043855
9780429487347
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429487347-14
Web Address (URL)https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780429487347-14/reading-contesting-germaine-greer-dennis-altman-jon-piccini-ana-stevenson?context=ubx&refId=db779de3-e9f5-4df0-82cc-73842427ba8f
Abstract

This chapter offers the first extended parallel analysis of the breadth of reaction, debate and change engendered by Germaine Greer’s The Female Eunuch (1970) and Dennis Altman’s Homosexual: Oppression and Liberation (1971). Examining both the people and reactions to their seminal works in the United States and Australia, it situates Greer and Altman as important ‘far-left exports’ of the 1970s. While The Female Eunuch and Homosexual appeared in a significant moment of rebellion and change, these were actually very different works in terms of composition and style. This chapter examines the varying responses to each – from everyday observers to the radical community, media heavyweights, and theologians – in both activist and mainstream print and visual media. The supportive and critical commentary surrounding Greer and Altman across the political spectrum thus places these Australian activists and celebrities in the context of the transnational far left, revealing the significance of their personal and textual legacies in the histories of Australia, the United States, and beyond.

KeywordsGermaine Greer, Denis Altman, Australian history, activism, social movements
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020430302. Australian history
430309. Gender history
430323. Transnational history
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Byline AffiliationsUniversity of Queensland
University of the Free State, South Africa
Institution of OriginUniversity of Southern Queensland
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