Our Bodies Ourselves Timeline: 1969 – present
The First Decade1969-1979 >
A group of women meet during a female liberation conference in Boston. At a workshop on “women and their bodies,” they talk about their own experiences with doctors and share their self-knowledge. They later decide to research and share information about women’s bodies and health.
1969
1970
The group puts together a 193-page course booklet on stapled newsprint, titled “Women and Their Bodies.”
The authors change the name of the book to “Our Bodies, Ourselves” to emphasize women taking full ownership of their bodies. Republished by New England Free Press, the book puts women’s health in a radically new political and social context and quickly becomes an underground success. It sells 250,000 copies, mainly by word-of-mouth.
1971
1972
The Boston Women’s Health Book Collective formally incorporates in order to negotiate a contract for publication with Simon & Schuster. The contract includes a 70 percent discount for health clinics, a clause that is included in every subsequent contract, as well as funding for a Spanish language translation of the book.
1976
A revised and updated edition of “Our Bodies, Ourselves” is published. A national bestseller, it is recognized by the American Library Association’s Young Adult Service Division as one of the best books of the decade.
1977
The Boston Women’s Health Book Collective, in collaboration with Leonor Taboada and Raquel Scherr Salgado, self-publishes “Nuestros Cuerpos, Nuestras Vidas,” a Spanish translation of “Our Bodies, Ourselves.” About 50,000 copies were distributed throughout the United States and Latin America.
The Second and Third Decades1979-1999
The success of “Our Bodies, Ourselves” necessitates a more formal organizational structure for the Boston Women’s Health Book Collective. The group transitions away from a collective to a nonprofit organization.
1980
German and Swedish editions published.
OBOS begins collaborating with Amigas Latinas en Accion pro-Salud to develop health materials by and for Latinas. The program is later renamed the Latina Health Initiative.
1981
1981
Greek and Netherlands editions published.
An Israeli edition is published.
1982
1991
“A Hundred Thousand Questions about Women’s Health” a book in Telugu inspired by “Our Bodies, Ourselves”, is published.
“The New Our Bodies, Ourselves: Updated and Expanded for the 90s” is published.
1992
1995
A Russian edition is published.
South African (English) and Thai editions are published.
1996
1996
The 1992 U.S. edition is re-issued with a new cover and a new preface by Byllye Avery, Helen Rodriguez-Trias, and Gloria Steinem, in honor of the 25th anniversary of publication.
“Our Bodies, Ourselves for the New Century” is published.
1998
The first OBOS website launches.
1998
1999
The first installment of BWHBC/Our Bodies Ourselves records are given to the Schlesinger Library for their collection on women’s health.
The Fourth and Fifth Decades2000 – Present
Women’s groups from around the world continue to adapt “Our Bodies, Ourselves” into print and digital formats. Our Bodies Ourselves publishes two single-topic books.
2000
A revised and culturally adapted edition of “Nuestros Cuerpos, Nuestras Vidas,” created by Latinas in the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean, and representing 19 different organizations, is published.
Judy Norsigian, a founder of the Boston Women’s Health Book Collective, becomes executive director.
2001
2001
The Armenian Charitable Foundation on Population Development in Yerevan publishes an Armenian adaptation of “Our Bodies, Ourselves”.
The Women’s Health Initiative in Bulgaria publishes a Bulgarian adaptation of “Our Bodies, Ourselves”.
2001
2001
The Autonomous Women’s Center Against Sexual Violence in Belgrade publishes a Serbian adaptation of “Our Bodies, Ourselves”.
Because most people associate the Boston Women’s Health Book Collective with the book “Our Bodies, Ourselves”, the organization begins to do business under the name Our Bodies Ourselves (OBOS). The legally incorporated name remains the same.
2002
2002
In Moldova, the National Women’s Studies and Informational Center publishes a Romanian adaptation of “Our Bodies, Ourselves”.
The Our Bodies Ourselves Latina Health Initiative develops “Promotoras de Salud,” a peer health-educator training guide based on “Nuestros Cuerpos, Nuestras Vidas.”
2002
Groupe de Recherche sur les Femmes et les Lois au Senegal publishes an adaptation of “Our Bodies, Ourselves” in French for sub-Saharan Africa.
2004
2004
Anveshi in India reprints its Telegu edition in English to reach a wider audience in the country.
Our Bodies, Ourselves: A New Edition for a New Era” is published.
2005
The Tibetan Nuns Project in India publishes an adaptation titled “Healthy Body, Healthy Mind,” with a foreword by the Dalai Lama.
2005
2006
A reprint of the 2004 French inspired-edition (for French-speaking Africa) is released in Senegal.
2006
The OBOS Latina Health Initiative, along with Childbirth Connection, produces “De Camino a la Maternidad,” the Spanish language version of “Journey to Parenthood: Your Guide Through Pregnancy, Birth & Beyond”.
2008
In Nepal, the Women’s Rehabilitation Center publishes booklets based on “Our Bodies, Ourselves” in Nepali to use in nationwide self-care workshops.
In India, Women Unlimited publishes an adapted English text of “Our Bodies, Ourselves” for distribution throughout South Asia.
2008
2009
In India, Sanlaap collaborates with Manavi, a U.S.-based organization, to publish a Bengali booklet adapted from “Our Bodies, Ourselves” for India and Bangladesh.
In Armenia, “For Family and Health” Pan-Armenian Association publishes “We and Our Body” to encourage Armenian women to engage in peer-advocacy for sustaining good health for themselves and their communities.
2010
2011
The ninth edition of “Our Bodies, Ourselves” is published. Library Journal names it one of the Best Books of the Year in the consumer health category.
OBOS hosts a global symposium in Boston, Our Bodies, Our Future: Advancing Health and Human Rights for Women and Girls, in celebration of its 40th anniversary and its Global Network partners.
2011
2011
“Our Bodies, Ourselves” is recognized by Time magazine as one of the best 100 nonfiction books (in English) since 1923, when the magazine started.
2011
2011
OBOS’s Global Network partners in Africa continue to turn content adapted from “Our Bodies, Ourselves” into Yoruba and Pidgin English and Kiswahili to use in innovative outreach efforts throughout Nigeria and Tanzania.
“Our Bodies, Ourselves” is one of 88 books included in the 2012 Library of Congress exhibition “Books that Shaped America,” a list of important works “intended to spark a national conversation on books written by Americans that have influenced our lives.”
2012
In Vietnam, the Institute for Social Development Studies publishes a three-volume health series based on “Our Bodies, Ourselves” for healthcare providers across the country.
2015
2016
Each month, thousands of people visit the Our Bodies Ourselves website to find trustworthy and accurate information on women’s health and sexuality.
A Luganda adaptation of several chapters of "Our Bodies, Ourselves" is published for women in Uganda.
2017
2018
OBOS begins a partnership with the Center for Women’s Health and Human Rights at Suffolk University on a new website, Our Bodies Ourselves Today.
La CORPS Féministe, a Quebec-based group, creates a French adaptation of the relationships and sexuality chapters “Our Bodies, Ourselves” for women in Canada.
2019
2019
In honor of the 50th anniversary of Our Bodies Ourselves and the new collaboration with Suffolk University’s Center for Women’s Health and Human Rights, three generations of feminists gathered for a celebratory event, Our Bodies Ourselves: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.
2022
In collaboration with Our Bodies Ourselves, the Center for Women’s Health & Human Rights at Suffolk University launches the new Our Bodies Ourselves Today website, which features high quality, curated resources on the health and sexuality of women and gender expansive people.
Coletivo Feminista Sexualidade e Saúde, the Research Group on Translation Studies at the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro and the translation team at Universidade de Campinas collaborate to produce Nossos Corpos por Nós Mesmas, a Brazilian Portuguese adaptation of "Our Bodies, Ourselves."
2023
2025
Our Bodies Ourselves is now officially part of the Center for Women's Health and Human Rights at Suffolk University!