LOS ANGELES — Adult-oriented sociologist Dr. Chauntelle Tibbals has been featured in the newest edition of “The Real World: An Introduction to Sociology.”
Published by W.W. Norton & Company and written by Associate Professor of Sociology at Northern Illinois University, Kerry Ferris, and Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Santa Barbara City College, Jill Stein, “The Real World” is considered a relevant textbook for contemporary sociology students and is required reading in many universities and colleges nationwide.
“The Real World” focuses on everyday life activities and popular culture to encourage students to "think sociologically" and to show the relevance of sociology in actual relationships, jobs and future goals. In the text’s 4th edition, Tibbals’ work is presented as a unique perspective that would have been unimaginable only a few years ago.
The authors wrote, “The topics [Tibbals] addresses range widely and include condom use in adult content … the increase and decline in breast augmentation among women adult performers … and an ethnographic perspective on women’s work behind the scenes in the porn industry.”
“It’s such an honor to be included in this newest edition of ‘The Real World,’” Dr. Tibbals said. “University curricula are constantly evolving to include relevant current issues and you don’t get much more ‘relevant’ or ‘current’ than adult entertainment. As wild as it may sound, porn is an important conduit to understanding modern society. My research considers how developing technology and the public’s increasing access to adult content impact both the wider social world, as well as those working within the adult entertainment industry. I hope the inclusion of my work inspires students to continue to look at all aspects of society, including those which may be considered taboo.”
The authors added, “While she is a feminist who takes a social justice perspective in her work, [Tibbals’] research does not assume a negative perspective on the adult film industry… whereas scholars were once almost universally critical of porn as a media genre that objectifies women and contributes to sexual violence, people like Dr. Chauntelle are now addressing previously overlooked and under-researched topics and issues … this paradigm-shifting pornography research will likely make its way into public debates in the future, which means that society will have to expand its sense of what is ‘normal’ to include things that had in the past been framed as dangerous and deviant…and legislate accordingly.”
“The Real World: An Introduction to Sociology (4th Edition)” can be purchased at the W.W. Norton & Company site and via Amazon.
Dr. Tibbals reports that she is committed to evaluating and understanding the place of gender, sexuality, sex work and other marginalized factions in society.
For more information about Dr. Tibbals, visit ChauntelleTibbals.com.
