Near $800,000 University Grant To Study Pornography. Liberal Values In Action

No-I am not making this up-Heck I'd do it for a quarter of the price,or even free if I have the spare time. This is the best that liberal values in society can do with nearly $800,000

Researchers have been awarded almost $800,000 to study pornography and its wider place in society.

University of Auckland staff will look at the relationship between pornographic movies and people's real lives, examine views on it and how it reflects and affects society, Auckland Now reports.

The $790,000 project is one of 88 announced in $53.8 million worth of Marsden Fund Grants last month, when it was initially described as examining "public engagement towards a more inclusive and equitable society".

Marsden Fund Council chairman Professor Peter Hunter admitted the project's title had changed but said no attempt was made to disguise the study.

The original title was taken directly from the proposal and was chosen to avoid a prurient response, but all grants were publicly listed, he said.

He said the study was extremely important and the study of human sexuality had long been an important area for research.

Associate Professor of Psychology, Nicola Gavey, says that after years of researching the "cultural norms underpinning rape" and with an ongoing interest in sexual violence prevention society needs to think a lot more carefully about the issue of pornography.

Pornography's place within society needed to be understood, as did its affect on behaviour, she said.

Her research colleagues are Ginny Braun and Octavia Calder-Dawe, and Linda Tyler from the Centre for New Zealand Art Research and Discovery.

Ms Calder-Dawe will work with groups of young men and women "to explore the ethical dilemmas posed by exploitative and aggressive forms of pornography".

The group will also host an exhibition of artworks "that call into question the prejudicial gaze of mainstream pornography".

Kim McGregor, director of Rape Prevention Education, said it was "fabulous" academics would research such a complex topic.

She says given the known links between pornography and sexual violence the work is very important.