The Rhetorical Battle to Distinguish Child Pornography from Art: The Case of Jock Sturges

• In Event: Scholar to Scholar II

Abstract

Photographer Jock Sturges is best known for his photographs of nude children, adolescents, and families taken at naturist resorts, which some describe as child pornography. Sturges’ legal battles have made him a cause célèbre for advocates of the arts and the First Amendment. This essay examines the debate over how to define Sturges’ work as protesters across the nation urged law enforcement officials to bring obscenity charges against Barnes & Noble for selling Sturges’ books.

Author

• Brett Lunceford, University of South Alabama