Sex, Consent and Justice: A New Feminist Framework

Increasingly fraught debates about sex, consent, feminism, justice, law, and gender relations have taken centre stage in academic, journalistic and social media circles in recent years. This has resulted in a myriad of new theories, debates and mediated movements including #MeToo and #TimesUp. In this book, Tina Sikka explores many of the contradictions and tensions that make up these debates and movements. She looks in particular at those that draw together contemporary understandings of justice, violence, consent, pleasure and desire.

Drawing on the cases of Avital Ronell, Aziz Ansari, Jian Ghomeshi, Harvey Weinstein and Louis CK, she applies historical, explanatory, diagnostic and solutions-based tools to unpack two debates in particular – namely, contemporary sexual norms with regards to what is permissible and desirable sexual behaviour, and what constitutes justice in relation to gender-based sexual violence. Ultimately, Sikka proposes concrete legislative and policy recommendations and examines the necessary cultural changes needed to retain a progressive conception of sexual relations and consent.