New Books in Sex, Sexuality, and Sex Work

New Books Network

Sexuality

Gender Studies

Queer Theory

Sexuality Studies

Feminism

Sex Work

Human Trafficking

Psychoanalysis

Jane Austen

Colonialism

Prostitution

Reproductive Rights

Soft-Porn Cinema

Virginity

Early Christianity

Marilyn Chambers

Pornography

Trans Studies

Radical Acts

Sexual Violence

This podcast is a channel on the New Books Network. The New Books Network is an academic audio library dedicated to public education. In each episode you will hear scholars discuss their recently published research with another expert in their field. Discover our 150+ channels and browse our 28,000+ episodes on our website: ⁠newbooksnetwork.com⁠ Subscribe to our free weekly Substack newsletter to ... more

14 ratings

Publishes	Twice weekly	Episodes	520	Founded	5 years ago
Number of Listeners		Categories	Social SciencesArtsBooksScience

Listen to this Podcast

Guests Hosts Reviews Charts Talking Points

Latest Episodes

Jeana Jorgensen, "Sex Education 101: Approachable Essays on Folklore, Culture, & History" (Fox Folk Press, 2023)

you look back at your sex ed classes and wonder WTF?! Are you a parent

looking at your kid’s curriculum and asking the same question?

Sex Education 101: Approachable Essays on Folklore, Culture, & History (Fox Folk Press, 2023) is

less of a ho... more

17 Aug 2026 • 44 min

Leopoldina Fortunati, "The Arcana of Reproduction: Housewives, Prostitutes, Workers and Capital" (Verso, 2025)

The definitive feminist analysis of reproductive and ‘caring’ labor to emerge from Italian feminism of the 1970s.

Emerging from the great social upheavals that contested the sexual and racial divisions of labor globally in the 1970s, Leopoldina Fort... more

8 Aug 2026 • 1 hr 15 min • Most popular

Katie Barclay, "The Kiss: A History of Passion and Power" (Reaktion Books, 2025)

The Kiss: A History of Passion and Power (Reaktion, 2026) by Professor Katie Barclay tells the surprising history of our most intimate gesture: the kiss. Richly illustrated, it explores a millennium of kisses, asking how and why the kiss has retained... more

1 Aug 2026 • 31 min

Nick Yablon, "From the Skyscraper to the Wildflower: C. G. Hine's 1905 Photographic Survey of Broadway" (Columbia UP, 2026)

In 1905, when Broadway was already the most famous thoroughfare in

New York City, a recreational photographer from Newark, New Jersey named

Charles Gilbert Hine set out to document the street’s entire length.

Taking

pictures from downtown Bowlin... more

22 Jul 2026 • 37 min

Key Facts

Accepts Guests

Accepts Sponsors

Contact Information

Podcast Host

Number of Listeners

Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

Diabolical LiesKatie Gatti Tassin & Caro Claire Burke

Thinking AllowedBBC Radio 4

Behind the BastardsCool Zone Media and iHeartPodcasts

Van Leer Institute Series on IdeasNew Books Network

Jillian on LoveJillian Turecki | Daylight Media

Recent Guests

Leopoldina Fortunati

Renowned Italian feminist scholar, sociologist, and author of The Arcana of Reproduction

University of Udine / Verso (publisher)

Episode: Leopoldina Fortunati, "The Arcana of Reproduction: Housewives, Prostitutes, Workers and Capital" (Verso, 2025)

Katie Barclay

Professor and author

Episode: Katie Barclay, "The Kiss: A History of Passion and Power" (Reaktion Books, 2025)

Nick Yablon

Professor of history and American Studies at the University of Iowa

University of Iowa

Episode: Nick Yablon, "From the Skyscraper to the Wildflower: C. G. Hine's 1905 Photographic Survey of Broadway" (Columbia UP, 2026)

Debolina Dutta

Author of A Jurisprudence of Conversations, Law, Life and Feminism in Post-colonial India

Melbourne Law School / Cambridge University Press

Episode: Debolina Dutta, "A Jurisprudence of Conversations: Law, Life and Feminism in Post-colonial India" (Cambridge UP, 2026)

Molly Brookfield

Author of Watching the Girls Go By, Assistant Professor of History, Women and Gender Studies

University affiliations discussed in episode

Episode: Molly M. Brookfield, "Watching the Girls Go By: A History of Street Harassment in the United States" (UNC Press, 2026)

Jay Szpilka

Assistant professor, Department of Humanities, SWPS University

SWPS University

Episode: Jay Szpilka, "BDSM Practices in Contemporary Poland: Barbed Wire Floggings, Rope Orgasms, and the Problem with Desire" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2025)

Rosa Campbell

Historian of global feminism and author of The Book That Taught the World to Orgasm and Then Disappeared

King's College London (Leverhulme postdoctoral fellow)

Episode: Rosa Campbell, "The Book That Taught the World to Orgasm and Then Disappeared: Shere Hite and the Hite Report" (Melville House, 2026)

Michelle Chase

Associate Professor of History at Pace University

Pace University

Episode: Michelle Chase and Isabella Cosse eds., "The Cuban Revolution and the New Left: Transnational Histories of Gender, Sexuality, and Family" (U Florida Press, 2026)

Isabella Cosse

Professor of History at Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Argentina

Universidad Nacional de San Martín; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas

Episode: Michelle Chase and Isabella Cosse eds., "The Cuban Revolution and the New Left: Transnational Histories of Gender, Sexuality, and Family" (U Florida Press, 2026)

Hosts

Morteza

Host introducing the guest and guiding the interview

Miranda Melcher

Host of The New Books Network interview series and episode host across multiple shows

Reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars from 14 ratings

Nope
I really liked some episodes which had some interviews with researchers and sex workers, but with the May 2023 episode with Mary Eberstadt, I’ve learned this podcast series is just as bad as the mainstream media
There is no sex worker solidarity without solidarity for trans people. If you’re reading this and thinking “well not everything is black and white, you just don’t want people to express their opinions freely”, please go educate yourself with some recent research on the current statistic... more
Apple Podcasts
1
TinaDeutschland
Canada3 years ago

Embed These Reviews on a Website

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

There are episodes with researchers and sex workers that are strong; some guests bring sharp critique.

The scholarly, book-focused format is praised for depth but can be dense for casual listeners.

A few listeners feel the show lacks solidarity across marginalized groups and would benefit from broader inclusion.

Some episodes are highlighted for rigorous archival context and cross-disciplinary perspectives.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts	#93	United Kingdom/Science/Social Sciences
Apple Podcasts	#115	Canada/Science/Social Sciences
Apple Podcasts	#60	Australia/Science/Social Sciences
Apple Podcasts	#78	Italy/Science/Social Sciences
Apple Podcasts	#237	Germany/Science/Social Sciences
Apple Podcasts	#40	South Korea/Science/Social Sciences

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Katie Barclay, "The Kiss: A History of Passion and Power" (Reaktion Books, 2025)

Q: Could you start us off please by introducing yourself a little bit and tell us why you decided to write this book?

I'm a historian of love, and I've focused on relationships and the social meanings of kissing across time; the project grew out of noticing how kisses appear in many forms—from religious rites to contracts to romance—and how those meanings shift with cultural changes and historical context.

Leopoldina Fortunati, "The Arcana of Reproduction: Housewives, Prostitutes, Workers and Capital" (Verso, 2025)

Q: How do you see the relationship between family, love, and capital in shaping women's labor?

Love and marriage function as mechanisms that disguise exploitation; capital reshapes intimate life to ensure women's labor is unpaid or underpaid, while demanding social reproduction as a publicly supported project, not just a private obligation.

Leopoldina Fortunati, "The Arcana of Reproduction: Housewives, Prostitutes, Workers and Capital" (Verso, 2025)

Q: Why is it important to treat reproductive labor as productive labor within Marxist analysis?

Because the reproduction sphere sustains the labor force and capital's surplus; ignoring it hides how capital profits from women's unpaid and paid work, undermining a full picture of exploitation and the potential for collective action.

Debolina Dutta, "A Jurisprudence of Conversations: Law, Life and Feminism in Post-colonial India" (Cambridge UP, 2026)

Q: How did the Open Letter to the Chief Justice of India influence feminist jurisprudence and public discourse on consent?

The letter highlighted the need to reexamine consent in rape cases, argued for public education about women's experiences of injustice, and exposed the judiciary's failings in representing women's voices, thereby shifting feminist jurisprudence toward public, experiential accountability.

Debolina Dutta, "A Jurisprudence of Conversations: Law, Life and Feminism in Post-colonial India" (Cambridge UP, 2026)

Q: Could you define what Adda is and how you adapted it for feminist jurisprudence research?

Adda is understood as both a verb (an action of talking and listening) and a place (a gathering for discussion). It is a relational, place-bound practice that fosters mutuality and supports a broader aim of forming relationships rather than merely analyzing texts, which helps democratize knowledge production in legal scholarship.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About This Podcast

What is This Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This show features scholarly interviews focused on recent books and research across gender, sexuality, sex work, history, and related social sciences. Episodes center on deep dives into authors' methodologies, archival work, and the historical or cultural implications of their topics, often tying micro-studies to broader political and social questions. A distinguishing trait is its cross-disciplinary, globally informed approach, bringing together historians, sociologists, and literary scholars to illuminate how power, sexuality, labor, and culture intersect. Listeners—primarily academics, librarians, and PR/ marketing pros seeking informed commentary—will find rigorous analysis, accessible explanations of complex ideas, and timely discussio... more

Where can I find podcast stats for this podcast?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to this podcast and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does this podcast get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for this podcast, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for this podcast?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for this podcast, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does this podcast have?

To see how many followers or subscribers this podcast has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to this podcast?

These podcasts share a similar audience with this podcast:

1. Diabolical Lies
2. Thinking Allowed
3. Behind the Bastards
4. Van Leer Institute Series on Ideas
5. Jillian on Love

How many episodes of this podcast are there?

this podcast launched 5 years ago and published 520 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact this podcast?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for this podcast?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for this podcast from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for this podcast?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of this podcast. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on this podcast?

Recent guests on this podcast include:

1. Leopoldina Fortunati
2. Katie Barclay
3. Nick Yablon
4. Debolina Dutta
5. Molly Brookfield
6. Jay Szpilka
7. Rosa Campbell
8. Michelle Chase

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.

Try it free for 7 days