The Politics of Lust [Paperback]

John G. Ince (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2005

Sex is one of the great joys of life - satisfying to the body, sublime to the soul. But when we examine our sexual psychology with a careful eye, we will find a reservoir of fear toward sexual expression. From nudity to public sex, masturbation to homosexuality, monogamy to group sex, pornography to prostitution, eroticism secretly disturbs us. Yet the existence of this pervasive sexual anxiety is not widely recognised. "The Politics of Lust" exposes our hidden sexual anxiety and the disturbing social system that breeds it in the minds of millions of people. The challenging ideas set out in this book will give you a radical new perspective on your sexuality and your society.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Rarely will you find a women's magazine that isn't touting sex tips or a movie or novel that doesn't contain some sexual content. But despite the prevalence of sex in the popular culture, attorney and erotic arts activist Ince argues that "erotophobia," the powerful and irrational fear of our own sexuality, is prevalent, contagious and continuing to shape American attitudes towards human sexuality. The bulk of the book explores the three distinct forces that fuel erotophobia: "antisexualism," the irrational negative response to harmless sexual expression; "nasty sex," which includes rape and violent pornography; and "rigidity," the inability to enjoy "playful and spontaneous" sex. Ince's assertion that negative views of sex and sexual expression are linked to social conservatism is familiar. More noteworthy is his attempt to link sexual fear and repression with political power and social hierarchy. By comparing countries with varying levels of social stratification, Ince attempts to show that "irrational fears about sex help produce social inequality." Though Ince's analysis isn't scientific, he makes some salient points about the role of erotophobia in patriarchal societies and in religious communities. Ultimately, however, many of his arguments about the unhealthy persistence of erotophobia feel redundant; anyone interested in the causes and effects of sexual repression will already be well versed in many of them. But for those looking for an accessible primer on the subject, this book could be illuminating.
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Review

"Ince delivers his message in a logically beautiful form that is simultaneously simple, without being simplistic, provocative, without being pandering, and powerful, without being preachy."

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Product Details

• Paperback: 335 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (March 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591022789
• ISBN-13: 978-1591022787
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #855,924 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing book!, December 16, 2011

By 

S. Antonel - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Politics of Lust (Paperback)

Finally, a book that identifies and clearly explains the hidden mental phenomenon that intimately and deeply affects all of our lives to some degree and yet still largely eludes our conscious understanding: erotophobia, the fear of sexual pleasure and desire.

Despite having the word politics in the tile, this book is at least as much about psychology as it is about politics. Instead of attempting to refute antisexual arguments directly, Ince takes the interesting approach of explaining the psychological and emotional anxiety (erotophobia) that forms the unconscious foundation for these arguments. He puts forth a detailed explanation of how these fears originate and perpetuate themselves and shows how they contaminate rational discourse on the subject of sexuality. He cunningly argues that much of the religious and cultural teachings on sexuality that we passively accept as fact are not actually founded in reason but are, in fact, backwards attempts to rationalize these irrational fears.

The first chapter defines erotophobia and lays out other basic concepts in the book. In each subsequent chapter, Ince builds upon on the concepts he laid out in the beginning of the book by focussing on a specific sexual taboo or practice, showing how the general concept of erotophobia can manifest itself in specific ways while simultaneously giving examples of how these specific phobias influence sexual law and politics, often with unjust results. In the final chapters he discusses the links between erotophobia and social hierarchy, authoritarianism and patriarchy.

It's important to note that, while this book seriously questions moral attitudes and precepts held by social conservatives, it is not accusatory. While the author is not shy about pointing out outrageous claims, he does so without mockery or self-righteousness. Even though I agree with him, as a former Catholic I know how hard challenging such deeply held beliefs can be and I think the author treats these matters with the respect and compassion they deserve.

While it is provocative, "The Politics of Lust" is not an endorsement of hedonism nor does it excuse truly bad behaviour. It is a compelling case for more tolerant, sex-positive cultural norms based on rational, libertarian principles instead of raw, unbridled emotion.

This book really resonated with me and I truly enjoyed it. Of all the books I have ordered from Amazon this one is the first I found so compelling that I just had to write a review. I cannot recommend it enough. I'm actually a bit saddened that there aren't many like it (as far as I know). There seems to be no shortage of books defending traditional sexual morality and fiercely denouncing cultural sexual permissiveness (even though, as this book argues, western culture is only sexually permissive in a very superficial sense) and so few that rationally examine modern sexuality without hyperbole or hysteria. I think anybody else who, like me, is perturbed by such sex-negative attitudes or at least has an open mind would find this book both refreshing and enlightening.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars concise study, April 30, 2008

By 

elfdart - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Politics of Lust (Paperback)

i found this book to be very educational. usually we don't tend to note our reactions to situations or ideas unless we are paying attention to it, and i have never really looked at the erotiphobia in our society. its kind of funny because we live a more liberal lifestyle here than people do in other places in the world, but we seem almost afraid of our sexuality. of course i'm a novice in the subject, but this seemed to be a pretty good study on the sexuality in our society and more importantly, on our (almost) rejection of it. its worth checking out in any case.