Ethnopornography: Sexuality, Colonialism, and Archival Knowledge

This volume explores the links between sexuality, ethnography, race, and colonial rule through an examination of ethnopornography, which eroticizes the observation of the Other for scientific or academic purposes. It shows how ethnopornography is fundamental to the creation of race and colonialism, as well as archival and ethnographic knowledge.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 280 pages
Publication date: 19 February 2022
Publisher: Duke University Press

This comprehensive volume delves into the intricate connections between sexuality, ethnography, race, and colonial rule by exploring the realm of ethnopornography. Ethnopornography involves the eroticized observation of "others" for purported scientific or academic purposes, shedding light on the complex interplay of these factors. Spanning from the sixteenth century to the present, the contributors examine ethnopornography's role in shaping race and colonialism, as well as the construction of archival and ethnographic knowledge.

Through a multidisciplinary approach, the contributors analyze a wide range of topics, including eighteenth-century European travelogues, the sexualization of African and African American women, representations of sodomy throughout the Ottoman empire, racialized representations in a Brazilian gay pornographic magazine, colonial desire in the 2007 pornographic film Gaytanamo, the relationship between sexual desire and ethnographic fieldwork in Africa and Australia, and voyeuristic accounts of indigenous people's "sinful" activities by Franciscan friars.

By examining the ethnopornographic encounter, the contributors highlight how the reader or viewer imagines direct contact with the "other" from a distance. They trace ethnopornography's role in creating racial categories and its grounding in the relationship between colonialism and the erotic gaze. The contributors further theorize ethnography as a form of pornography that is driven by the desire to render knowable the "other" while simultaneously imbued with institutional power.

This volume offers valuable insights into the complex and multifaceted relationships between sexuality, ethnography, race, and colonial rule, providing a rich and thought-provoking exploration of this important subject matter.

Weight: 418g
Dimension: 152 x 229 x 27 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781478003847