Harris Mirkin
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Harris Mirkin is a controversial Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Missouri–Kansas City (UMKC) in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. He has a B.A. from Hobart College, an M.A. from the New School for Social Research in New York, and a Ph.D. from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.
[edit] Controversial research
Long known for a so-called "Einstein-esque" physical appearance, Professor Mirkin has become widely known for his studies on social constructionism in sexual politics. He first received widespread recognition for his paper, The Pattern of Sexual Politics: Feminism, Homosexuality, and Pedophilia, in the Journal of Homosexuality, which caused some to call him a "Professor of Pedophilia". Using social-constructionist theory, he argued that the concept of child molestation is a "culture and class-specific creation" which can and should be changed. The Pattern of Sexual Politics compared current attitudes towards child sexuality and pedophilia as a recycled construct of previous, historical attitudes towards female sexuality and homosexuality.
While initially the paper received little publicity, it came under fire in 2002 when Judith Levine published Harmful to Minors, a book that some accused of "endorsing pedophilia." As a backlash from the resultant publicity over Professor Mirkin's research, UMKC eventually lost $100,000 from its state budget. The University, however, took no action as a result and continually defended Professor Mirkin and his research.
Among other controversial works, Mirkin also authored Sex, Science, and Sin: The Rind Report, which gave a sociopolitical analysis of the backlash against the authors of Rind et al. 1998. He has also written extensively on the political aspects of child pornography and is currently writing a book on the subject.
