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THE DEMON LOVER: On the Sexuality of Terrorism by Robin Morgan

THE DEMON LOVER: On the Sexuality of Terrorism

By

Pub Date: Feb. 27th, 1988
Publisher: Norton

A leading feminist writer takes a frightening, but ultimately affirmative, look at cultural links (under patriarchy) between beauty and death, terror and sexuality. As in her past work (Sisterhood is Global, The Anatomy of Freedom, etc.), Morgan is at her best when compiling evidence, least satisfying when she meanders along, offering pages of poetic abstraction. Much of this is hardly new: the world would be a more peaceful place if women ran it; men equate power with manhood and potency, sexualizing their weapons of war and connecting their sexuality with violence. For readers who may think such views simplistic, however, Morgan builds a convincing case and also presents a feminist political model through examples of successful, peaceful, nonhierarchical mass movements initiated by women. She ranges widely: a critical reading of Joseph Campbell on The Hero; Marx, Mao, Sartre, and others; a fascinating tour through the current literature on terrorism--including theories about the intimate connections between terrorism and established power structures; accounts of women's experiences as lovers and/or victims of male terrorists (including an interview with Patricia Hearst); memories of her own experiences as a Sixties radical; thoughts on the emotional and erotic pull of the outlaw male and how to break free of it. Of prime interest are her interviews with Palestinian women on the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In spite of rough spots, a book that women (and men) will overlook at their own peril.