Safe, Sane and Consensual

ROBIN BAUER Lecturer in Gender and Science Studies and Queer Studies, University of Hamburg, GermanyANDREA BECKMANN Senior Lecturer in Criminology, University of Lincoln, UKROBERT V BIENVENU II Team Leader of the Community-Academic Consortium for Research on Alternative Sexualities and Chair of the CARAS Research Advisory Committee, USAERIC CHALINE a PhD candidate, London South Bank University, UKGRANT DENKINSON calls himself male, bisexual and polyamorousLISA DOWNING is Chair of French Discourses of Sexuality and Director of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Study of Sexuality and Gender in Europe (CISSGE), University of Exeter, UKDOSSIE EASTON one of the most prolific writers on the subject of SMCAMELIA GUPTA is a mental health worker, independent researcher and journalistWILLIAM HENKIN is a licensed psychotherapist and a board certified sex therapistALESSANDRA IANTAFFI is an active researcher and lecturer in the fields of diversity, inclusion, identities and research theories and methodologiesPEGGY J. KLEINPLATZ Associate Professor of Medicine and Clinical Professor of Psychology, University of Ottawa, CanadaCHARLES MOSER is Chair, Department of Sexual Medicine, Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality, San Francisco, USAKATHY SISSON, MA is an independent scholar in California, USASOPHIA is polyamorous, bisexual and identifies as a switchRICHARD A SPROTT Executive Director of the Community-Academic Consortium for Research on Alternative Sexualities, and Lecturer, Department of Human Development, California State University, USAMATTHEW WEAIT Senior Lecturer in Law and Legal Studies, Faculty of Continuing Education, Birkbeck College, University of London, UK

'One could say that Safe, Sane and Consensual poses more questions than it answers, but it is not necessarily a criticism it was high time that these questions were asked, dispelling some damaging stereotypes in the process.' - Toni Brennan, Feminism & Psychology '[A]n impressive collection of empirical, theoretical, historical, clinical, personal, and legal perspectives on sadomasochism and related practices...The collection spans an impressive array of subjects, beginning with a section on the history and basic principles of S/M that would likely work well for graduate and undergraduate students as well as those unfamiliar with or underinformed about S/M... [B]oth in its scope and in its sensitivity to the multi-faceted dimensions of S/M practices, [it] offers a unique and much needed look at S/M as powerful, revealing, and nonpathological.' - Breanne Fahs, Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy 'The book is a valuable contribution to the field...In the face of a scarcity of research into S/M culture and practice, the book provides an excellent entry point into many of the discussions around S/M. Its didactic structure, its attempts to dispel common myths and stereotypes, and the lack of heavy theoretical jargon turns it a good teaching source.' - Christian Klesse, Sexualities

• SECTION I: INTRODUCING SADOMASOCHISM Situating Sadomasochism; D.Langdridge & M.Barker The Cultural Formation of S/M: History and Analysis; K.Sisson Themes of SM Expression; C.Moser & P.J.Kleinplatz Is SM Pathological?; P.J.Kleinplatz & C.Moser Sado-masochism and the Law; M.Weait SECTION II: THEORISING PAIN AND INJURY Speaking the Unspeakable: S/M and the Eroticisation of Pain; D.Langdridge The 'Bodily Practices' of Consensual 'SM', Spirituality and 'Transcendence'; A.Beckmann Beyond Safety: Erotic Asphyxiation and the Limits of SM Discourse; L.Downing SECTION III: EMPIRICAL RESEARCH Sexual Fantasies of S/M Practitioners: The Impact of Gender and S/M Role on Fantasy Content; M.R.Yost On Becoming a Gay SMer; A Sexual Scripting Perspective; E.Chaline Playgrounds and New Territories: the Potentaial of BDSM Practices to Queer Genders; R.Bauer SECTION IV: THERAPEUTIC PERSPECTIVES The Power of Play: The Potentials and Pitfalls in Healing Narratives of BDSM M.Barker , C.Gupta & A.Iantaffi Shadowplay: S/M Journeys to Ourselves; D. Easton Some Beneficial Aspects of Exploring Personas and Role Play in the BDSM Context; W.A.Henkin SECTION V: BRIDGING THE ACADEMIC/ACTIVIST DIVIDE CARAS: An Initiative to Link Alternative Sexual Communities and Academic Researchers; R.A.Sprott & R.Bienvenu Turning the World Upside Down: Developing a Tool for Training about SM; M.Barker Who's in Charge in an SM Scene; Sophia SM and Sexual Freedom: A Life History; G.Denkinson Experiences of a Pro-Domme; M.Alize Total Power Exchange in a Modern Family: A Personal Persepctive; R.Green