Manchester University Press
Introduction
Abstract
The introduction of Teenage intimacies begins by setting out three key contexts that informed the experiences of the post-war generation. It traces the ‘rise of the teenager’ from the 1950s, outlines changes associated with the so-called ‘sexual revolution’ of the long 1960s, and gives an overview of changes in the status of women in English society after the Second World War. It argues that this study of young women’s sexuality offers new perspectives on each of these histories but also sheds new light on the broader histories of intimacy and social change in the post-war period. The introduction goes on to discuss the two key types of reflective testimony used in this research: oral history interviews and submissions to the Mass Observation Project. It argues that personal testimonies offer unparalleled insights into the everyday nature of intimacy and specific details of sexual activity that are not usually recorded in archival sources. By incorporating details of sexual activity into broader life histories, Teenage intimacies explores the different meanings that sexuality and intimacy had for individuals in the past. The final section of the introduction sets out the book’s overarching argument – that understandings of what sex was and what it was for shifted in this period as sex became embedded in understandings of ‘growing up’ and became a prominent aspect of young people’s social.
Abstract
The introduction of Teenage intimacies begins by setting out three key contexts that informed the experiences of the post-war generation. It traces the ‘rise of the teenager’ from the 1950s, outlines changes associated with the so-called ‘sexual revolution’ of the long 1960s, and gives an overview of changes in the status of women in English society after the Second World War. It argues that this study of young women’s sexuality offers new perspectives on each of these histories but also sheds new light on the broader histories of intimacy and social change in the post-war period. The introduction goes on to discuss the two key types of reflective testimony used in this research: oral history interviews and submissions to the Mass Observation Project. It argues that personal testimonies offer unparalleled insights into the everyday nature of intimacy and specific details of sexual activity that are not usually recorded in archival sources. By incorporating details of sexual activity into broader life histories, Teenage intimacies explores the different meanings that sexuality and intimacy had for individuals in the past. The final section of the introduction sets out the book’s overarching argument – that understandings of what sex was and what it was for shifted in this period as sex became embedded in understandings of ‘growing up’ and became a prominent aspect of young people’s social.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- Acknowledgements vi
- Introduction 1
- I Growing up 39
- 1 Becoming sexual 41
- 2 Sexual presents and imagined futures 85
- II Relationships 129
- 3 Boyfriends and sexual partners 131
- 4 Friends and peers 172
- 5 Parents and family 204
- Conclusion 248
- Bibliography 268
- Index 289
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- Acknowledgements vi
- Introduction 1
- I Growing up 39
- 1 Becoming sexual 41
- 2 Sexual presents and imagined futures 85
- II Relationships 129
- 3 Boyfriends and sexual partners 131
- 4 Friends and peers 172
- 5 Parents and family 204
- Conclusion 248
- Bibliography 268
- Index 289
