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Our Bodies, Ourselves: 50 Years of Education and Activism

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The Palgrave Handbook of the History of Human Sciences

Abstract

Our Bodies Ourselves has been at the forefront of the women’s health movement for half a century, both reflecting and shaping that movement. This chapter summarizes that history, including how its mission and distribution have evolved over time. Co-authored by a founder of Our Bodies Ourselves, and the current director of Our Bodies Ourselves Today, this chapter includes both first person narrative and critical analysis. It explores the impact of the book and the organization that wrote and updated it, in the USA and globally. Selling millions of copies, and translated and adapted into 33 languages, Our Bodies Ourselves is one of the most influential books of the New Left social revolutions that begin in the 1960s. It has always combined three critical strands of a new and empowering approach to women’s health: (1) clear information, as scientifically accurate as possible, accessibly presented, (2) women’s personal stories, and (3) political analysis of the medical care system and of sexual relationships.

(*Our Bodies Ourselves Founders: Ruth Davidson Bell Alexander, Pamela Berger, Ayesha Chatterjee, Vilunya Diskin, Joan Ditzion, Paula Doress-Worters, Nancy Miriam Hawley, Elizabeth MacMahon-Herrera, Pamela Morgan (1949–2008), Judy Norsigian, Jamie Penney, Jane Kates Pincus, Esther Rome (1945–1995), Wendy Sanford, Norma Swenson, Sally Whelan, Kiki Zeldes)

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, Suffolk University, Boston, MA, USA

    Amy Agigian

  2. Our Bodies, Ourselves, Newton, MA, USA

    Wendy Sanford

Authors
  1. Amy Agigian
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  2. Wendy Sanford
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Amy Agigian .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    David McCallum

Section Editor information

  1. RMIT, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Meagan Tyler

  2. University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

    Natalie Jovanovski

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© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

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Agigian, A., Sanford, W. (2021). Our Bodies, Ourselves: 50 Years of Education and Activism. In: McCallum, D. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of the History of Human Sciences. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4106-3_28-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4106-3_28-1

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-15-4106-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-15-4106-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

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