Ericksen, Julia A. 1941- (Julia Ann Ericksen)

PERSONAL:

Born November 24, 1941, in England; U.S. citizen; daughter of Harry Troughton (an engineering fitter) and Kathleen (a shop assistant) Smith; married Eugene Pennell Ericksen, April 7, 1966; children: Polly Joanna, Andrew Robert, Monica Amanda Jane. Ethnicity: "British." Education: University of London, B.Sc., 1964; University of Michigan, M.A., 1965; University of Pennsylvania, Ph.D., 1976. Politics: Liberal Democrat. Hobbies and other interests: Ballroom dancing, cooking, hiking, reading, gardening.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Philadelphia, PA. Office—Department of Sociology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122; fax: 215-204-3352. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, began as assistant professor, became professor of sociology, 1976—. Philadelphia Theater Company, member of board of directors.

MEMBER:

International Academy of Sex Research, American Sociological Association.

WRITINGS:

Kiss and Tell: Surveying Sex in the Twentieth Century, Harvard University Press (Cambridge, MA), 1999.

Other writings include Taking Charge of Breast Cancer, University of California Press (Berkeley, CA).

SIDELIGHTS:

Julia A. Ericksen once told CA: "I became interested in sexual behavior surveys when I read in the Chronicle of Higher Education that the federal government had decided to withhold funding from a large national survey of sexual behavior. Since this survey had been designed to see if Americans were engaging in the kinds of risky sexual practices which could lead to a widespread AIDS epidemic, I wanted to understand why it was still so difficult to talk about sex. This took me through a fascinating journey involving political figures, researchers, and the discovery of about 750 surveys of sexual behavior taken over a one-hundred-year period.

"I write because I think I have something to say. When I write, I complete my first draft quickly. It is important to me to get a version of what I want to say down, even if it is flawed. At this stage I do not worry about finding the right word or phrase. I then read the material carefully and do rough editing. I then reorganize, and return to the editing again. I rewrite many times.

"In my new work, I write about women's experiences with breast cancer in a world where this disease has taken on a special and dreadful meaning. Part of my motivation is my own history of breast cancer. It has given me access to subjects that I would never have otherwise. I interviewed about 100 women about their experiences and wrote about their illness narratives, framing them in the cultural context of breast cancer in America."