Abstract
How can we re-imagine sex from a feminist perspective? And how do we challenge culturally established norms for sexual interaction? These questions arise from claims that the increasing ‘pornification’ of society (Nikunen, Paasonen, and Saarenmaa, 2007) installs sexual norms that promote female subordination (Srinivasan, 2022), deprivation of female sexual agency (Lischinsky, 2018), and dehumanizing objectification of female bodies (Brownmiller, 1975). Feminist porn has emerged as an alternative to mainstream porn (Mondin, 2014) by producing pornographic material that counters and challenges the male gaze and hegemonic norms of mainstream pornography (Maina, 2014, Penley et al., 2013, Taormino, 2013; Young, 2014). In keeping with the notion of feminist porn as a work in progress, we understand gender equality in sexual encounters in pornography as utopic; something we strive towards but maybe never reach (Cooper, 2014). Utopianism can be understood as the desire, hope and quest for better ways of living through reforming the current social arrangements (Levitas, 2013), in other words striving for social change.In this paper, we explore how a producer of audio pornography for women, Erotic Stories (a pseudonym), re-imagines pornography to challenge the sexual norms in mainstream pornography. With Erotic Stories, the founders explicitly sought to challenge the dominant male norms in the porn industry by moving away from the male gaze and producing pornography with a focus on female lust, consensual sex, and romance. With our study, we provide a utopian perspective on feminist porn and shed light on an example of a progressive effort to challenge sexual norms (Cooper, 2014) with the ultimate hope to inspire efforts for pushing more toward gender equality.
| Original language | English |
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| Publication date | Jul 2023 |
| Publication status | Published - Jul 2023 |
| Event | 39th European Group for Organizational Studies Colloquium: Organizing for the Good Life: Between Legacy and Imagination - University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy Duration: 6 Jul 2023 → 8 Jul 2023 Conference number: 39 https://www.egos.org/2023_Cagliari/General-Theme |
Conference
| Conference | 39th European Group for Organizational Studies Colloquium |
|---|---|
| Number | 39 |
| Location | University of Cagliari |
| Country/Territory | Italy |
| City | Cagliari |
| Period | 06/07/2023 → 08/07/2023 |
| Other | The purpose of the 39th EGOS Colloquium 2023 is to understand the organizing of a good life as the encounter of legacy and imagination. The former refers to an organization’s ability to build on its own history and to respect the cultural values of the social contexts in which they operate. The latter refers to an organization’s capacity to build better futures through continuous innovation. To gain such an understanding, several questions come to mind:<br/><br/> How can we design workplaces that promote imagination and wellbeing?<br/><br/> How can organizations reconcile profit-making with the wellbeing of their communities?<br/><br/> How can the engineering of good life in organizations lead to dysfunctional consequences?<br/><br/> How do we theorize legacy and imagination in organization studies?<br/><br/> How can legacy promote imagination, innovation, and competitive advantage?<br/><br/> How can legacy encourage sustainability, inclusion, and ethics?<br/><br/> Under what conditions does legacy promote change/rigidity?<br/><br/> How does legacy contribute to or detract from building a good life?<br/><br/> How does legacy differ across cultures?<br/><br/> What are the benefits and shortcomings of imagination?<br/><br/>The EGOS Colloquium 2023 will be hosted in Cagliari (Italy), a city with a millenary history, culture, and wild nature. A territory where tensions between past and present, nature and progress, physical and virtual, local and global/international become more evident as they shape Sardinians’ daily life.<br/><br/>These contradictions between legacy and contemporary demands have fostered original thinking, creativity, innovative use of traditional resources. Imagination is translated not only into superb gastronomic tastes and entrepreneurial initiatives but also in building a virtuous ecosystem to redevelop abandoned areas. This is the case of the conversion of Sulcis mines into the production of the spirulina algae, a unique project created by the close collaboration between local firms and the university.<br/> <br/>In this context, the University of Cagliari, established in 1620, plays a central role in preserving the past, protecting the environment, stimulating vivid imagination through multidisciplinary, and nurturing entrepreneurial mindsets. The philosophy of the University of Cagliari appears simple and challenging at the same time: “We should not limit ourselves to the present, but we should reinvent the past to build a better future.” |
| Internet address |
UN SDGs
This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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SDG 5 Gender Equality
Projects
- 1 Active
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ADD: Algorithms, Data and Democracy
Just, S. N. (Project manager), Lantz, P. M. V. (Project participant), Dahlman, S. (Project participant), Kristiansen, N. W. (Project participant) & Gulbrandsen, I. T. (Project manager)
28/02/2021 → 28/02/2031
Project: Research
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