Dynamics of Sexual Consent

How does sexual consent work? How do we know that another person really wants to have sex with us? Why do people sometimes give in to sex that they are not in the mood for? And how come it is sometimes difficult to draw a sharp line between sex and assault? Dynamics of Sexual Consent addresses these...

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Hovedforfatter: Gunnarsson, Lena
Format: Online
Sprog:engelsk
Udgivet: Taylor & Francis 2025
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Online adgang:https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/102686
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author Gunnarsson, Lena
author_browse Gunnarsson, Lena
author_facet Gunnarsson, Lena
author_sort Gunnarsson, Lena
collection Directory of Open Access Books
description How does sexual consent work? How do we know that another person really wants to have sex with us? Why do people sometimes give in to sex that they are not in the mood for? And how come it is sometimes difficult to draw a sharp line between sex and assault? Dynamics of Sexual Consent addresses these questions based on deeply personal interviews with 20 Swedish women and men of various ages and sexual orientations. In doing so, it contributes to understandings of sexual consent and sexual grey areas through its combination of conceptual rigour, analytical detail and empirical richness. While starting in the legal definition of consent as voluntary participation, the book broadens the discussion to a wider sociological and philosophical sphere where gendered power dynamics and relational dependencies challenge simplistic understandings of voluntariness. Contesting tendencies to see miscommunication as the key problem related to consent, it shows that emotional aspects are often the main factor standing in the way of genuinely consensual interactions. While the analysis is informed by a gender perspective emphasizing the gendered power asymmetries of heterosexuality, it also foregrounds men’s vulnerability and the power dynamics of samesex interactions. A key argument of the book is that, given the contextual and ambiguous nature of sexual interactions, it is impossible to delineate unequivocal and concretely applicable guidelines for what counts as consent. To compensate for the lack of universal, fail-safe rules, what is needed is an intensified collective reflection on consent and sexual grey areas, which can make individuals better equipped to identify and respect their own and others’ boundaries. An empirically rich and conceptually sophisticated contribution to understanding of sexual consent and sexual grey areas, Dynamics of Sexual Consent will be of interest to scholars and students of gender studies, sociology and criminology.
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spelling doab-20.500.12854ir-1605042025-07-31T07:20:08Z Dynamics of Sexual Consent Gunnarsson, Lena love;assault;interviews;relational dependencies;gender studies;sociology;philosophy;seduction;dominance;domination;grey areas;gendered power;power dynamics;voluntary participation;power;consent;sexual consent thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JH Sociology and anthropology::JHB Sociology thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JB Society and culture: general::JBS Social groups, communities and identities::JBSF Gender studies, gender groups::JBSF2 Gender studies: men and boys thema EDItEUR::G Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary subjects::GT Interdisciplinary studies::GTM Regional / International studies thema EDItEUR::L Law::LN Laws of specific jurisdictions and specific areas of law::LNT Social law and Medical law thema EDItEUR::L Law::LA Jurisprudence and general issues::LAQ Law and society, sociology of law::LAQG Law and society, gender issues How does sexual consent work? How do we know that another person really wants to have sex with us? Why do people sometimes give in to sex that they are not in the mood for? And how come it is sometimes difficult to draw a sharp line between sex and assault? Dynamics of Sexual Consent addresses these questions based on deeply personal interviews with 20 Swedish women and men of various ages and sexual orientations. In doing so, it contributes to understandings of sexual consent and sexual grey areas through its combination of conceptual rigour, analytical detail and empirical richness. While starting in the legal definition of consent as voluntary participation, the book broadens the discussion to a wider sociological and philosophical sphere where gendered power dynamics and relational dependencies challenge simplistic understandings of voluntariness. Contesting tendencies to see miscommunication as the key problem related to consent, it shows that emotional aspects are often the main factor standing in the way of genuinely consensual interactions. While the analysis is informed by a gender perspective emphasizing the gendered power asymmetries of heterosexuality, it also foregrounds men’s vulnerability and the power dynamics of samesex interactions. A key argument of the book is that, given the contextual and ambiguous nature of sexual interactions, it is impossible to delineate unequivocal and concretely applicable guidelines for what counts as consent. To compensate for the lack of universal, fail-safe rules, what is needed is an intensified collective reflection on consent and sexual grey areas, which can make individuals better equipped to identify and respect their own and others’ boundaries. An empirically rich and conceptually sophisticated contribution to understanding of sexual consent and sexual grey areas, Dynamics of Sexual Consent will be of interest to scholars and students of gender studies, sociology and criminology. 2025-05-27T07:13:46Z 2025-05-27T07:13:46Z 2025-05-26T09:31:20Z 2025 book https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/102686 9781003535546 9781040226476 9781032879482 9781032628448 https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/160504 eng open access image/jpeg image/jpeg image/jpeg Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/20.500.12657/102686/1/9781040226469.pdf https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/20.500.12657/102686/4/9781040226469.pdf https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/20.500.12657/102686/4/9781040226469.pdf Taylor & Francis Routledge 10.4324/9781003535546 10.4324/9781003535546 fa69b019-f4ee-4979-8d42-c6b6c476b5f0 9781003535546 9781040226476 9781032879482 9781032628448 Routledge 284 open access
spellingShingle love;assault;interviews;relational dependencies;gender studies;sociology;philosophy;seduction;dominance;domination;grey areas;gendered power;power dynamics;voluntary participation;power;consent;sexual consent
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JH Sociology and anthropology::JHB Sociology
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JB Society and culture: general::JBS Social groups, communities and identities::JBSF Gender studies, gender groups::JBSF2 Gender studies: men and boys
thema EDItEUR::G Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary subjects::GT Interdisciplinary studies::GTM Regional / International studies
thema EDItEUR::L Law::LN Laws of specific jurisdictions and specific areas of law::LNT Social law and Medical law
thema EDItEUR::L Law::LA Jurisprudence and general issues::LAQ Law and society, sociology of law::LAQG Law and society, gender issues
Gunnarsson, Lena
Dynamics of Sexual Consent
title Dynamics of Sexual Consent
title_full Dynamics of Sexual Consent
title_fullStr Dynamics of Sexual Consent
title_full_unstemmed Dynamics of Sexual Consent
title_short Dynamics of Sexual Consent
title_sort dynamics of sexual consent
topic love;assault;interviews;relational dependencies;gender studies;sociology;philosophy;seduction;dominance;domination;grey areas;gendered power;power dynamics;voluntary participation;power;consent;sexual consent
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JH Sociology and anthropology::JHB Sociology
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JB Society and culture: general::JBS Social groups, communities and identities::JBSF Gender studies, gender groups::JBSF2 Gender studies: men and boys
thema EDItEUR::G Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary subjects::GT Interdisciplinary studies::GTM Regional / International studies
thema EDItEUR::L Law::LN Laws of specific jurisdictions and specific areas of law::LNT Social law and Medical law
thema EDItEUR::L Law::LA Jurisprudence and general issues::LAQ Law and society, sociology of law::LAQG Law and society, gender issues
topic_facet love;assault;interviews;relational dependencies;gender studies;sociology;philosophy;seduction;dominance;domination;grey areas;gendered power;power dynamics;voluntary participation;power;consent;sexual consent
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JH Sociology and anthropology::JHB Sociology
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JB Society and culture: general::JBS Social groups, communities and identities::JBSF Gender studies, gender groups::JBSF2 Gender studies: men and boys
thema EDItEUR::G Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary subjects::GT Interdisciplinary studies::GTM Regional / International studies
thema EDItEUR::L Law::LN Laws of specific jurisdictions and specific areas of law::LNT Social law and Medical law
thema EDItEUR::L Law::LA Jurisprudence and general issues::LAQ Law and society, sociology of law::LAQG Law and society, gender issues
url https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/102686
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