Immigrants in the Sexual Revolution: Perceptions and Participation in Northwest Europe

This book focuses on the latter half of the twentieth century, when much of northwest Europe grew increasingly multicultural with the arrival of foreign workers and (post-)colonial migrants, whilst simultaneously experiencing a boom in feminist and sexual liberation activism. Using multilingual newspapers, foreign worker organizations’ archives, and interviews, this book shows that immigrants in the Netherlands and Denmark held a variety of viewpoints about European gender and sexual cultures. Some immigrants felt solidarity with, and even participated in, European social movements that changed norms and laws in favor of women’s equality, gay and lesbian rights, and sexual liberation. These histories challenge today’s politicians and journalists who strategically link immigration to sexual conservatism, misogyny, and homophobia.

About the Author

Andrew DJ Shield is Fellow and Lecturer at Roskilde University, Denmark, where he focuses on the intersections of immigration, race, gender, sexuality, and media in Europe. He lives and bikes in Copenhagen.