Sexual Liberation, Socialist Style

Advance praise: 'An absolutely gorgeous book which transforms our understanding of the alternate modernity that was the Eastern bloc. Flush with stunning primary source-material and dazzlingly original analysis, it challenges us to reconsider assumptions about 'psy-entific' expertise in conditions of authoritarianism - but even more to recognize ordinary citizens' extraordinary creativity and agency in shaping their intimate lives.' Dagmar Herzog, author of Cold War Freud: Psychoanalysis in an Age of Catastrophes Advance praise: 'Liskova is the first to write the history of Czechoslovakia's sexual revolution. This enlightening, ambitious and original book challenges many of our preconceived notions about life under state socialism.' Melissa Feinberg, author of Curtain of Lies: The Battle over Truth in Stalinist Eastern Europe Advance praise: 'Ambitious in its scale and prodigiously researched, this book will be a must for anyone who wants to know more about histories of gender and sexual freedom in twentieth-century Europe.' Dan Healey, author of Homosexual Desire in Revolutionary Russia: The Regulation of Sexual and Gender Dissent Advance praise: 'Liskova challenges some of the most basic assumptions about the social organization of sexuality by showing that 'sexual liberation' in Czechoslovakia came from above, through the discourses of experts and the practices of the state. Her account demolishes the convenient imagery of prudish communist officials attempting to surround sexuality with walls of silence and hypocrisy. Similarly, she does away with the myth that authentic liberation and agency can only come from below. This is a thought provoking book that should be read profitably by all those interested in the relations between expertise, the state and sexual practices.' Gil Eyal, author of Making Capitalism Without Capitalists: The New Ruling Elites in Eastern Europe Advance praise: 'In a remarkable challenge to the familiar linear narrative of sexual emancipation, Liskova shows how an early egalitarian ethos celebrating the parity of men and women as the path to satisfaction reverted to a traditional patriarchal ideal of male superiority after the failed uprising of the Prague Spring. Highly recommended reading for anyone interested in non-totalitarian histories of the Eastern Bloc.' Kristen R. Ghodsee, author of Red Hangover: Legacies of Twentieth-Century Communism