Duke University Press has published a new book entitled Public Privates: Performing Gynecology from Both Ends of the Speculum, written by Terri Kapsalis, professor of Performance Studies at Northwestern University. The description of the book from the spring and summer catalog declares that "gynecology is not simply the study of women's bodies, but also serves to define and constitute them." Accordingly, the author "decodes the gynecological exam, seizing on its performative dimension," and discusses "incarnations of the pelvic examination outsides the bounds of medicine," including a performance art piece entitled "Public Cervix Announcement," which is intended to reveal "the potent cultural attitudes and anxieties about women, female bodies, and female sexuality that permeate the practice of gynecology." To provide context, the author suggests a "venue from which challenging alternative performances may be staged."

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