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The Bear Book II

Further Readings in the History and Evolution of a Gay Male Subculture

By John Dececco, Phd, Les Wright

Published January 25th 2001 by Routledge – 478 pages

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    Description

    Here is a serious discussion of an emerging gay subculture!

    Take another fascinating journey into the bear's den with the latest offering from Les Wright, author of The Bear Book. The Bear Book II will show you the contrast between the media image of the fun-loving, carefree bear man and the health, image, psychological, technological, and sexual concerns of bears living in the real world.

    A continuation of The Bear Book (1997), this study of typically big, hairy, and bearded gay men explores bears on a societal and personal level, giving a wide voice to bears of all ages, nationalities, and cultures.

    Among the topics The Bear Book II: Further Readings in the History and Evolution of a Gay Male Subculture discusses are:

    • health concerns of bears
    • bear body images
    • self-esteem issues for bears
    • physical and psychological bear attributes as portrayed in the media versus actual individual accounts
    • social and sexual institutions in the bear community
    • the role of the Internet in creating a global bear subculture
    The Bear Book II will help you to understand the life of a bear. This unique book, the only serious exploration of this topic, offers documentation of a subculture in the making, complete with subjective and analytical perspectives that support this example of postmodern cultural anthropology.

    Contents

    Contents

    • About the Editor
    • Contributors
    • Foreword
    • Acknowledgments
    • Introduction
    • PART I: Bear Bodies
    • Chapter 1: Bears and Health
    • Sleep Apnea
    • Arteriosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD)
    • Arteriosclerotic Peripheral Vascular Disease
    • Arthritis
    • Cancers
    • Cholecystitis and Cholelithiasis
    • Diabetes mellitus
    • Duodenal Ulcer
    • Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
    • Heart Attack
    • Hiatal Hernia
    • Hyperlipidemia
    • Hypertension
    • Pediculosis (Body Lice)
    • Pilonidal Sinus and Cyst
    • Sexually Transmitted Diseases
    • Two Postscripts
    • Chapter 2: Fat Is a Bearish Issue
    • Journey into the Psyche of a Chubby-Chaser
    • Bearstory/Chubstory
    • Fat Theory
    • Icons and Images of Fat-Desire
    • Gripes About Beardom
    • Chapter 3: Bear Youth: An Interview with Brian Kearns, Bear Youth Webmaster
    • Chapter 4: By Any Otter Name: The Negative Space of the Bear
    • Bears in Space
    • Neighborhood Clans
    • The Otter Questionnaire
    • Responses
    • Inconclusions
    • Chapter 5: The Beard of Joseph Brown
    • PART II: Bear Testimonies
    • Chapter 6: A Bear Admirer's (Subjective, Fluffy, and Totally Honest) Point of View
    • Chapter 7: A Puerto Rican Bear in the USA
    • Family Background
    • Breaking Out of Captivity
    • Chapter 8: One Black Bear Speaks
    • Chapter 9: An Asian Bear in Minnesota
    • Chapter 10: The Ephebe is Dead--Long Live the Bear
    • Chapter 11: Parlaying Sex into Friendships
    • PART III: More Bear Spaces
    • Chapter 12: Theorizing Bearspace
    • Bear Bodies in Space
    • Bearspace and Theory
    • Bearspace Exposed
    • Skepsis/Bears and Globalization
    • Bearspaces of Subjectivity and Fantasy
    • Chapter 13: Paws Between Two Worlds: Bears and the Leather Community
    • Chapter 14: Gen-X Bears International
    • Chapter 15: The Bear-A-Tones: An Interview with David Salinas
    • Chapter 16: East Coast Bear Hugz
    • Chapter 17: The Bears Mailing List, Part 2: Interview with Henry Mensch
    • PART IV: Bear Club Scene
    • Chapter 18: A Bear's Autobiography
    • Chapter 19: Bear Contests
    • Chapter 20: A Short History of the Bear Clubs in Iowa: The Bear Paws of Iowa and the Ursine Group
    • First Meeting
    • Issues and Feedback Raised in Articles in the The Bear Facts
    • The Creation of The Ursine Group
    • Chapter 21: Houston Area Bears
    • Chapter 22: The Bears come to Rochester
    • Chapter 23: A Short History of the Brisbears
    • PART V: More Bears Abroad
    • Chapter 24: A Bear Voice from Turkey
    • Chapter 25: Falstaff's Legacy: The Bears of Albion
    • Chapter 26: The Rise of the Australian Bear Community Since 1995
    • June 1995: The Death of Ozbears
    • August 1995: The Birth of Harbour City Bears
    • April 1996: The Birth of Vic Bears (Originally Melbourne Ozbears)
    • February 1997: Bear Essentials '97 and the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
    • May 1997: The Melbourne Bear and Cub Competition
    • Mid-1997: Brisbears Voted Best Male Club in Brisbane
    • Late 1997: New Bear Club in Canberra
    • January 1998: The Second Bear Club in Sydney
    • February 1998: Bear Essentials '98 and Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Become the Biggest Bear Festival in Australia at the Time
    • June 1998: Southern Hibernation '98 and the Mr. Australian Bear and Cub Competition Become the Second Flagship Event for the Australian Bear Community
    • Late 1998: Cougar Leather Club Caters to Bears in Southern Australia
    • BearsPerth (Formerly WOMBATS) and Ozbears South Australia
    • 1999: Further Developments
    • The Future of Bears in Australia
    • Acknowledgments
    • PART VI: Bears in Media
    • Chapter 27: You Can Lead a Bear to Culture, but. . . or Bears in Literature and Culture: A Discussion with David Bergman and Michael Bronski
    • Chapter 28: Laid Bear: Masculinity with All the Trappings
    • Methodology
    • Bear Erotica
    • Mainstream Gay Erotica
    • Leather/SM Erotica
    • Discussion

    Related Subjects

    1. Gay & Lesbian Studies

    Name: The Bear Book II: Further Readings in the History and Evolution of a Gay Male Subculture (Paperback) – Routledge 
    Description: By John Dececco, Phd, Les Wright. Here is a serious discussion of an emerging gay subculture! Take another fascinating journey into the bear's den with the latest offering from Les Wright, author of The Bear Book. The Bear Book II will show you the contrast between the media...
    Categories: Gay & Lesbian Studies