Sadomasochism And The Bdsm Community In The United States

Sadomasochism and the BDSM Community in the United States: Kinky People Unite chronicles the development of sadomasochistic sexuality and its communities in the United States from the post-war period to the present day. Having evolved from scattered networks of sadomasochists to a coherent body bound by shared principles of "safe, sane, consensual," activists worked to transform popular perceptions of their community, end its routine harassment by law enforcement and win inclusion in American society. Often paralleling the work of LGBTQ activists, people who engaged in BDSM (Bondage and Discipline, Dominance and Submission, and Sadism and Masochism) transformed both their own sexual practices and how outsiders perceived them, successfully changing popular perceptions of them from fascists, murderers, and outlaws to people living an alternative lifestyle. The development of this community highlights the interactions of people of different sexual orientations within a sexual community, the influence of various campaigns for sexual freedom, and the BDSM community's influence on popular perceptions of sexuality and sexual freedom. The text’s historical perspective gives depth and texture to a specific dimension of American history of sexuality. This book will be of interest to students and scholars in the history of sexuality. Its clear and direct approach offers an important and useful chronology of a movement that has long been neglected.

Representations of consensual sadomasochism range from the dark, seedy undergrounds of crime thrillers to the fetishized pornographic images of sitcoms and erotica. In this pathbreaking book, ethnographer Staci Newmahr delves into the social space of a public, pansexual SM community to understand sadomasochism from the inside out. Based on four years of in-depth and immersive participant observation, she juxtaposes her experiences in the field with the life stories of community members, providing a richly detailed portrait of SM as a social space in which experiences of "violence" intersect with experiences of the erotic. She shows that SM is a recreational and deeply gendered risk-taking endeavor, through which participants negotiate boundaries between chaos and order. Playing on the Edge challenges our assumptions about sadomasochism, sexuality, eroticism, and emotional experience, exploring what we mean by intimacy, and how, exactly, we achieve it.

A book that dispels the myths about those who prefer to go beyond “vanilla” sex Sadomasochism: Powerful Pleasures is a comprehensive exploration of the entire sexual subculture that lies on the cutting edge of society. The mental health professions and society have marginalized people who practice sadomasochism (SM).This interdisciplinary collection dispels myths surrounding SM, bringing together leading scholars from the fields of sexology, psychology, sociology, and medicine, alongside queer studies and sexual minority advocacy. Experts such as Thomas S. Weinberg, PhD, Susan Wright, MA, Margaret Nichols, PhD, Odd Reiersol, PhD, Svein Skeid, Rebecca F. Plante, PhD, Niklas Nordling, MPsych, and N. Kenneth Sandnabba, PhD, among other stellar authorities, reveal research findings, clinical data, and critical thinking about sexuality that lies beyond “vanilla.” To gain a broader understanding of human sexuality, the study of SM is crucial for what it reveals about us as sexual beings. The text discusses the results of research into practitioners’ behaviors and perspectives, the prevalence of SM behaviors in today’s culture, and stresses the need for greater tolerance and understanding. The realization of SM desires and their acceptance are explored in detail. This unflinching look at the world and the people of SM will guide scholars and lay people alike into a more sensitive, sex-friendly viewpoint of the people society calls “kinky.” Sadomasochism: Powerful Pleasures answers questions such as: What is the nature of SM relationships? What are the values and motives of SM participants? How do mental health professionals regard and treat SM practitioners? Should sadomasochism continue to be classified as a mental illness? What is the legal status of SM and what are the consequences of discrimination against SM practitioners? Does increasing visibility of SM imagery decrease stigma or create added problems? What can ordinary lovers learn from those we have marginalized about the farther reaches of human erotic potential? Sadomasochism: Powerful Pleasures is valuable, insightful reading for mental health professionals, students, sex educators, sex counselors, sex therapists, sex researchers, sexual health workers, sociologists, sexual minority groups, and anyone interested in learning more about the sexual pleasures that lie beyond the traditional.

A worldwide subculture that influences everything from fashion to advertising, sadomasochism has a long and lively history. A Lover’s Pinch tells the story of consensual sadomasochism, from a controversial religious practice to a secretive sexuality branded a perversion. The origins of kink and fetish culture have been shrouded in secrecy and myths, until now. Here, Peter Tupper reveals the true story of sadism and masochism, dominance and submission. From the ancient Christian flagellants to the Fifty Shades trilogy, the history of consensual sadomasochism is a story of fascinating individuals, unlikely connections and strange twists and turns. Meet Arthur Munby, the Victorian gentleman who secretly married Hannah Cullwick, his maid of all work, and called her his slave; and Jack McGeorge, the UN weapons inspector who was outed as a BDSM club leader just before the Iraq war. Explore the links between Robinson Crusoe,Uncle Tom's Cabin and modern BDSM pornography, and between fetish fashion and anti-Catholic propaganda. Learn how the 19th century middle-class household nurtured dominant-submissive sexuality. Discover the secret history of a hidden world. Winner, 2019 Geoff Mains Non-Fiction Book Award, NLA-International

Psychological and medical perspectives on sadomasochism have historically been concerned with understanding it as a form of psychopathology. In the past (but still often today) studies of S/M have been concerned with extreme and most often non-consensual acts. However, more recently there has been growing interest in exploring the meaning of S/M in non-pathological ways. This book directly addresses this development, presenting some of the most recent cutting edge work on S/M by leading international scholars who all seek to understand rather than pathologise. This includes the latest thinking on theory and practice, academic-community pieces, as well as the presentation of new empirical findings across the range of identities and practices that constitute S/M.

This study draws on common sense, humor, anecdotes, interviews, history, clinical case studies, analyses of human behavior, and basic ideas from psychology and philosophy to ilustrate the real lives and experiences of men and women in BDSM communities.

Consent: Legacies, Representations, and Frameworks for the Future examines the conceptualisation of ‘consent’ across various historical periods, cultures, and disciplines to offer an expansive, pluralistic vision for future articulations of consent as it circulates throughout contemporary life in sexual encounters, medical contexts, and media representations. This volume is distinctive in its diverse conceptual scope and commitment to cross-disciplinary dialogue, accommodating perspectives on consent that are contextually sensitive and culturally diverse. The chapters examine a range of topics, from socio-cultural engagements with consent in Latin American music, feminist movements in Pakistan, and BDSM in Poland, to theoretical and pedagogical ones exploring alternative possibilities for framing and understanding consent through intersectional approaches and institutional curricula. Consent: Legacies, Representations, and Frameworks for the Future is of value to researchers, practitioners, undergraduate and postgraduate students, and general readers interested in histories, representations, and future possibilities of consent in its many manifestations. The Introduction and Afterword of this book are freely available as downloadable Open Access PDFs at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license.

Teaching and Learning History Online: A Guide for College Instructors offers everything a new online history instructor needs in one package, including how to structure courses, integrate multimedia, and manage and grade discussions, as well as advice for department chairs on curriculum management, student advising, and more. In today’s technological society, online courses are quickly becoming the new normal in terms of collegiate instruction, providing the ideal environment to "flip the classroom" and encourage students to hone critical thinking skills by engaging deeply with historical sources. While much of the attention in online teaching focuses on STEM, business, and education courses, online history courses have also proven consistently popular. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, new history instructors are rushed into online teaching with little or no training or experience, creating a need for a guide to ease the transition from classroom to online course development and teaching. A timely text, this book aims to provide both new and experienced college history teachers the information they need to develop dynamic online courses.