Robert Jensen Explained

Robert Jensen
Birth Name:Robert William Jensen
Birth Date:July 14, 1958
Workplaces:Moody College of Communication
Alma Mater:University of Minnesota
Thesis Title:Knowing Pornography
Thesis Year:1992
Main Interests:Journalism and mass communication
Principal Ideas:Media law, ethics, and politics
Major Works:Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masculinity
Website:http://robertwjensen.org/

Robert William Jensen (born July 14, 1958)[1] is a former professor of journalism from the University of Texas at Austin. From 1992 to 2018 he taught graduate and undergraduate courses in media law, ethics, and politics.

He has focused much of his work on the critique of pornography and of masculinity, developed in his 2017 book, The End of Patriarchy: Radical Feminism for Men. He also has written about white privilege and institutional racism. He also sits on the editorial board of the academic journal Sexualization, Media, and Society.[2]

Early life

Jensen grew up in Fargo, North Dakota.[3]

Education

In 1981, he received a Bachelor of Science degree from Moorhead State University (now Minnesota State University, Moorhead), and in 1985, he received a Master of Arts degree in journalism and public affairs from American University. In 1992 he completed his Ph.D. in media law and ethics in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota.

Career and activism

Prior to his academic career, he worked as a reporter and copy editor for several newspapers, including the St. Petersburg Times and the St. Paul Pioneer Press.[4]

Jensen writes for popular media, both alternative and mainstream.[5] His opinion and analytic pieces on such subjects as foreign policy, politics, and race have appeared in papers around the U.S. He also is involved in a number of activist groups, including the Third Coast Activist Resource Center.[6]

Controversy

9/11 opinion piece

Jensen wrote an opinion piece for the Houston Chronicle on September 14, 2001, shortly after the September 11th terrorist attacks.[7] In the piece, Jensen wrote that the September 11th terrorist attacks were "reprehensible and indefensible" but "no more despicable than the massive acts of terrorism – the deliberate killing of civilians for political purposes – that the U.S. government has committed during my lifetime."

Jensen's piece drew both praise and criticism. Some individuals demanded that The University of Texas fire Jensen. In response, University of Texas President Larry Faulkner wrote in a letter to the editor published in the Houston Chronicle that he was "disgusted by Jensen's article" and called Jensen "a fountain of undiluted foolishness on issues of public policy."[8]

Views on transgender identity

In early July 2014, MonkeyWrench Books collective cut all ties with Jensen over his article reviewing two feminist books that critiqued transgender identity.[9] These books were Sheila Jeffreys' Gender Hurts: A Feminist Analysis of the Politics of Transgenderism and Michael Schwalbe's Manhood Acts: Gender and the Practices of Domination. In the review published by Dissident Voice, Jensen concluded that, "On the surface, transgenderism may seem to be a more revolutionary approach, but radical feminism offers a deeper critique of the domination/subordination dynamic at the heart of patriarchy and a more promising path to liberation"[10] which they felt "contributes to a dangerous culture of transphobia". In addition, Dexter M. Thomas wrote a rebuttal which was also published by Dissident Voice.[11] Jensen responded by writing a follow-up article which elaborated on his views on the ecological and social implications of what he terms "trans ideology".[12]

In 2024, Jensen published It’s Debatable: Talking Authentically about Tricky Topics at Olive Branch Press (an imprint of Interlink Publishing), a book discussing methods of conducting debates on controversial issues. Chapter 5, titled "Defining Sex/Gender: Beyond Trans Ideology", was left out of the original printing of the book; according to the official publisher's description, the chapter would discuss "the confused and confusing ideology of transgenderism".[13] It was replaced in the book by a short note, where Jensen states that the publisher refused to include Chapter 5, due to their policy of support for transgender rights. The chapter was instead made available on Jensen's website.[14]

Personal life

Jensen identifies as a radical Christian who rejects the supernatural claims of Christian orthodoxy.[15] Jensen is married to musician Eliza Gilkyson.[16]

Selected works

Books

Journal articles

Review of: Book: Dworkin . Andrea . MacKinnon . Catharine . Andrea Dworkin . Catharine MacKinnon . In harm's way: the pornography civil rights hearings . . Cambridge, Massachusetts . 1997 . 9780674445796 . registration .

Review of: Book: Kendall, Christopher N. . Gay male pornography an issue of sex discrimination . . Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada . 2004 . 9780774851152 . Gay Male Pornography: An Issue of Sex Discrimination .

Films

Speeches

Press

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Jensen, Robert, 1958- . Library of Congress . November 9, 2015 . (Robert Jensen; b. July 14, 1958) .
  2. Web site: Editorial board: Sexualization, Media, and Society. 27 October 2015 . SAGE. 4 January 2016.
  3. Web site: Jensen . Robert . Robert W. Jensen: White Privilege . uts.cc.utexas.edu . . July 19, 1998 . April 24, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110612133025/http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~rjensen/freelance/whiteprivilege.htm . June 12, 2011 .
  4. Web site: Jensen . Robert . Robert W. Jensen: Curriculum Vitae . uts.cc.utexas.edu . . April 24, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110515122022/http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/%7Erjensen/vita.htm . May 15, 2011 .
  5. Web site: Jensen . Robert . Robert W. Jensen: Articles . uts.cc.utexas.edu . . April 24, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110612110345/http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~rjensen/articles.html . June 12, 2011 .
  6. Web site: Jensen . Robert . Nuclear threats at home and abroad . thirdcoastactivist.org . 23 August 2015 . Third Coast Activist Resource Center . November 9, 2015 .
  7. News: Jensen . Robert . U.S. just as guilty of committing own violent acts . . . https://web.archive.org/web/20151018091758/http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~rjensen/freelance/attack1.htm . September 14, 2001 . October 18, 2015 . November 9, 2015 .
  8. News: Lee . Nichols . War of Words . September 28, 2001 . . Nick Barbaro . November 23, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121104163401/http://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2001-09-28/83161/ . November 4, 2012 .
  9. Web site: MonkeyWrench books collective . Smash the Cistem . us7.campaign-archive1.com . MonkeyWrench books collective . June 2014 . July 26, 2014 .
  10. Web site: Jensen . Robert . Some basic propositions about sex, gender, and patriarchy . dissidentvoice.org . Dissident Voice . June 13, 2014 . November 9, 2015 .
  11. Web site: Thomas . Dexter M. . Gender and sexual diversity . dissidentvoice.org . Dissident Voice . June 21, 2014 . November 9, 2015 .
  12. Web site: Jensen . Robert . Ecological and social implications of trans and climate change . dissidentvoice.org . Dissident Voice . September 12, 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170724062046/http://dissidentvoice.org:80/2014/09/ecological-and-social-implications-of-trans-and-climate-change/ . 2017-07-24 . November 9, 2015 .
  13. Web site: Interlink Publishing . 2024 . It's Debatable .
  14. Book: Jensen, Robert . It's Debatable: Talking Authentically about Tricky Topics . Chapter 5: Defining Sex/Gender: Beyond Trans Ideology. A Note to Readers . https://robertwjensen.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Chapter-5-Note-to-Readers-v2.pdf . 2024 . Northampton, MA . Olive Branch Press . 99–100.
  15. News: Jensen . Robert . The Inquisition . Killing the Buddha . June 5, 2009 . April 24, 2011 .
  16. Web site: Chotzinoff . Robin . Eliza Gilkyson . edibleaustin.com . Edible Austin . November 9, 2015 .

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