Ricky Varghese – författare

Marking the tenth anniversary of Tim Dean's Unlimited Intimacy, Raw returns to the question of sex without condoms, or barebacking, a timely topic in the age of PrEP, a drug that virtually eliminates the transmission of HIV. "Essential reading for anyone interested in the politics of sex, sexuality and sexual representation in the 21st century." —John Mercer, author of Gay Pornography "Finally, queer theory returns to a topic it has had surprisingly little to say about: sex! Underpinning these essays is a thrilling wager: that desire demands discourse but resists rationalization." —Damon R. Young, author of Making Sex Public and Other Cinematic Fantasies "A major contribution to research. It opens up the discourse on barebacking to a varity of perspectives and theoretical arguments, and makes clear that the topic remains relevant." —John Paul Ricco, author of The Decision Between Us "Raw provides an account of the state of queer-theoretical scholarship on bareback today, and makes a pluralising and distinctive contribution to that body of work, significantly broadening this field of scholarship." —Oliver Davis, editor of Bareback Sex and Queer Theory across Three National Contexts (France, UK, US) Contributors: Jonathan A. Allan (Brandon University), Tim Dean (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), Elliot Evans (University of Birmingham), Christien Garcia (University of Cambridge), Octavio R. Gonzales (Wellesley College), Adam J. Greteman (School of the Art Institute of Chicago), Frank G. Karioris (University of Pittsburgh & American University of Central Asia), Gareth Longstaff (Newcastle University), Paul Morris (San Francisco), Susanna Paasonen (University of Turku), Diego Semerene (Oxford Brookes University), Evangelos Tziallas (Concordia University), Ricky Varghese (Toronto), Rinaldo Walcott (University of Toronto)

This book considers pornography as a bridge between screen cultures and screen memories. The screen as a conceptual apparatus, in both pornographic production/ viewership and psychoanalysis, becomes important to unpack as such— what does the screen hold in with respect to desire and pleasure? What does it keep out? Are sex and memory interconnected? And if so, what is the status of memory as it informs sexual choices, practices, and fantasies and, thereby, informs the use of porn? Following Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, might there be the possibility for a reparative or redemptive reading of pornography that is informed by a psychoanalytic emphasis on the study of desire? Who or what are the subjects and objects of desire in the visual field of pornography? What sorts of psychoanalytic readings are possible of pornographic texts (in any media) and to what end might we undertake such an interpretative approach? How do well- worn psychoanalytic categories, such as loss, lack, mourning, melancholia, attachment, trauma, and the fetish, inform pornographic interpellation in both the producer and viewer? What are the ethical and methodological implications connected to thinking psychoanalytically about pornography? These are but some of the questions that this collection of essays explores. It will be of interest to researchers and advanced students of media and cultural studies, sociology, psychology, and mental health. This book was originally published as a special issue of the journal, Porn Studies.

This book considers pornography as a bridge between screen cultures and screen memories. The screen as a conceptual apparatus, in both pornographic production/ viewership and psychoanalysis, becomes important to unpack as such— what does the screen hold in with respect to desire and pleasure? What does it keep out? Are sex and memory interconnected? And if so, what is the status of memory as it informs sexual choices, practices, and fantasies and, thereby, informs the use of porn? Following Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, might there be the possibility for a reparative or redemptive reading of pornography that is informed by a psychoanalytic emphasis on the study of desire? Who or what are the subjects and objects of desire in the visual field of pornography? What sorts of psychoanalytic readings are possible of pornographic texts (in any media) and to what end might we undertake such an interpretative approach? How do well- worn psychoanalytic categories, such as loss, lack, mourning, melancholia, attachment, trauma, and the fetish, inform pornographic interpellation in both the producer and viewer? What are the ethical and methodological implications connected to thinking psychoanalytically about pornography? These are but some of the questions that this collection of essays explores. It will be of interest to researchers and advanced students of media and cultural studies, sociology, psychology, and mental health. This book was originally published as a special issue of the journal, Porn Studies.

While religion and queerness often are viewed as disparate, scholars in both fields of study share concerns and questions about how the modern subject, with its attachments to institutions and communities, is formed. This special issue of GLQ brings together queer studies and political theology in order to explore the relationship between the self and politics, theism, and queerness. Going beyond previous work in queer political theology that has focused primarily on Christianity, contributors to this issue consider how queer sexualities appear in other theological contexts, including articles on astrological, Blackpentecostal, Thirunangai, hijra, and sarimbavy ways of life, recentering marginalized and underrepresented minorities, beliefs, and practices. ContributorsAshon Crawley, Seth Palmer, Vaibhav Saria, David K. Seitz, Liza Tom, Ricky Varghese, Alexa Winstanley-Smith, Fan Wu

Revealing how sex and contagion have become uneasy yet inseparable bedfellows.  In an era defined by pandemics, our perceptions of sexuality are deeply intertwined with fears and fantasies of disease, transmission, and safety. Little Deaths navigates the shifting terrain of sex and sexuality in these perilous times, examining the political and psychological life of the body.

Revealing how sex and contagion have become uneasy yet inseparable bedfellows.  In an era defined by pandemics, our perceptions of sexuality are deeply intertwined with fears and fantasies of disease, transmission, and safety. Little Deaths navigates the shifting terrain of sex and sexuality in these perilous times, examining the political and psychological life of the body.