As women navigate the intersecting meanings of feminism and submission, some struggle to reconcile their feminist politics and submissive practice (i.e., belief in equality and desire to yield authority). Bondage/discipline, dominance/submission, and sadism/masochism (BDSM) has been examined through diverse feminist lenses, including radical feminism, postcolonial world-travelling, and a sex-critical approach. However, scant empirical research focuses on the intersection of feminist and submissive identities. The purpose of this collected papers dissertation was to better understand the identity navigation of women in the BDSM community who identify as feminist and submissive. Two studies were conducted to explore this gap. Study #1, a structured literature review of BDSM, examined how feminism and submission are discussed related to women who are feminist and submissive. Data were collected through a library database search, Google Scholar, reference scans, and Google Scholar Cited by. Important segments of data were identified and analyzed. Four themes emerged: feminism in the context of BDSM, normalization of BDSM, navigating identities, and power as transgressive. Implications focus on three areas: the importance of consent, transgression, and diversity; helping women understand and navigate identities; and reducing stigma through education. Study #2, a phenomenological study, explored how 23 women in the BDSM community perceive and navigate their feminist and submissive identities. Data were collected through interviews. Inductive analysis revealed six themes: feminist identity as distinct from feminist values, the complexity of submissive identity, women learn to accept their submissive identity in different ways, BDSM community perceived as generally accepting of feminist identity, feminist community perceived as not very accepting of submissive identity, and being out as feminist and as submissive. Implications focus on four areas: exploring how women challenge oppressions; understanding how women understand and negotiate consent; learning about how individuals learn about, develop, and engage in BDSM D/s relationships; and examining how college women experience these identities, feminism, submission, consent, and abuse while they develop as individuals. The findings can apply to counseling, feminism, sex education, higher education, adult education, and human resource development through incorporation into curriculum, training, and policies. Research and practice can be enhanced through exploring how consent is understood, operationalized, and violated; broadening discussions about identity development; and increasing awareness of how adults learn.

I c-uppsatsen Different Shades of BDSM: En antropologisk studie om sexualitet, normer och betydelsen av diskurser  diskuteras BDSM som sexualitet, dess normer och diskurses betydelse för hur synen på sexualitet kan komma att omdanas. I uppsatsen framträder dels starka interna normer och regler kring sexualitet och samtycke fram hos de BDSM-utövare som deltagit i studien. Dels framkommer det mörka sidor av BDSM-praktiken, men också hur BDSM-aktivisterna kämpar för att motverka och distanserar sig från detta. Den huvudsakliga forskningsfrågan som utreds i studien är: Hur förhåller sig BDSM-utövarna kring fördomarna som reproduceras i Fifty Shades? Den andra forskningsfrågan som utreds är: Hur formar BDSM-utövarna en (politisk) diskurs som baseras på upplevda erfarenheter och hur påverkar debatten det normativa ramverket för sexualitet?  Den bästsäljande Fifty Shades-trilogin används alltså som verktyg för att ta sig an diskurserna kring BDSM-praktiken och ramar således in det mångsfacceterade BDSM-fältet. Fältarbetet är baserat på intervjuer med en mängd BDSM-utövare i Stockholmsområdet, deltagande observation, medieinnehåll från böcker och filmer samt svenskspråkigt internet.  Analysen bygger även vidare på Rubins teorier om vad som anses vara "avvikande" sexualitet, Douglas teorier om  på "rent" och "orent" och Foucaults teorier om "diskursernas kamp". Studiens ansats har delvis varit att skapa förståelse för underliggande mekanismer till varför människor väljer att utöva BDSM, men främst visar den en bild av BDSM-praktiken som kan hjälpa exempelvis yrkesutövare inom socialt arbete att "sålla agnarna från vetet", dvs.  att avgöra vilka som har ett skadligt beteende och därmed skulle behöva stöd och hjälp och vilka som inte behöver det. Uppsatsen bidrar med andra ord till att se att det finns nyanser och att praktiken inte är enhetlig (Just denna uppsats återger främst BDSM-aktivisternas positiva perspektiv, vilka strävar efter en etiskt väl uppbyggd praktik med bra värdegrund, men tar även upp negativa aspekter av praktiken).

This project introduces the case of the Feminist Female Slave [FFS], a female submissive in a BDSM relationship with a male Master. This case is used in order to strengthen discourse in three main areas: feminist relational autonomy, BDSM theory, and feminist community politics. I argue that the FFS offers a case in which feminist autonomy theorists can serve to grow and develop their own approaches in a way that is inclusive of the diversity of women’s sexual expression, as she challenges our narrow notions of female subservience and asks us to rethink what it means to express an autonomous women’s sexuality. In BDSM theory she asks us to reflect upon our reliance upon superficial notions of consent and the lack of space for a critical dialogue, and finally, in feminist politics she asks us to consider what it means to belong to feminist communities, or what it means to feel as if one can lay claim to a feminist identity. Each of these considerations is brought to light in this project because of the interesting balance that the FFS’s relationship holds between her feminist identity, sexual politics, and sexual and romantic practices. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The term “kink” refers to a community of people and a practice of sexual activities that engage in power exchanges with their partner(s), pain, and/or restraint in a myriad of different contexts, that may or may not occur in an overt sexual context (Meyer & Chen, 2019). “Kink” can be used interchangeably with the acronym BDSM, which stands for bondage, dominance/discipline, sadism/submission, masochism. The overall purpose of this study was to learn more about those who are part of the kink community. This research is important because the current literature on those who engage in kink is relatively small and more information is needed on this population. Findings from this study may help therapists working with kink-oriented clients in the form of more understanding and in the provision of better care. Findings from this study may also contribute to the reduction of stigma associated with this population. I sought to answer the following questions: (1) Do kink members manifest symptoms of psychopathology more than non-kink individuals? And (2) Can interest in kink activities be predicted from variables related to psychopathology? Undergraduate students (n = 159; 110 females, 41 males, 2 trans, 2 “other”, 4 whom did not report their gender) completed questionnaires assessing: interest in kink, maladjustment (symptoms of depression, anxiety, and somatization), sadism, aggressiveness, antisocial behaviors, narcissism, histrionic behaviors, autonomous thinking, and empathy. Results indicated the following: Overall, there were no differences between members of the kink community versus non-kink members on study variables. Additional regression analyses revealed that those interested and open to kink activities tend to be autonomous (or independent) thinkers, less self-centered (i.e., narcissistic), and more concerned with ethics (e.g., obtaining consent for sex) than those not interested in kink activities. However, results also indicated that those interested in kink tend to enjoy attention (i.e., engage in histrionic behaviors). All considered, the data suggest that more individuals are open to, and have engaged in, kink-related sexual activities compared to those who openly self-identify as members of the kink community. Moreover, many of those who are open to and/or have engaged in kink are not necessarily any more pathological with respect to their psychological adjustment compared to non-kink people. With the exception of liking attention, these results suggest that kink members are more independently minded (i.e., concern themselves less for how others think or view them), less self-centered in some aspects, and recognize the importance of ethics, presumably as it relates to obtaining consent for sexual activities with others. Discussions of these results are provided.

Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro / Esta i investigação tem como objeto o discurso de legitimação de praticantes de condutas sexuais tradicionalmente classificadas como perversões, chamadas por seus adeptos de BDSM sigla que descreve diversas práticas ou jogos sexuais: B é para Bondage, o par B & D para bondage e Disciplina. O par D & S para Dominação e Submissão, e o par S & M para Sadismo e Masoquismo. O BDSM liga-se ainda ao fetichismo. As definições de BDSM analisadas foram retiradas da Internet, cujas especificidades são abordadas. Para a contextualização histórica do objeto foi apresentada e discutida a construção médico- psiquiátrica das perversões sexuais. A análise do discurso BDSM e sua comparação com definições psiquiátrica indicaram a centralidade da noção de consentimento como argumento de legitimação e distinção de comportamentos patológicos, principalmente no diálogo com a psiquiatria contemporânea. / The object of this investigation is the legitimating discourse of the adherents of sexual practices traditionally classified as perversions, called BDSM by their adepts which describes various practices or sexual games: B stands for Bondage, their pair B & D stands for bondage and Discipline, their pairs D & S stands for Domination and Submission, and the pair S & M stands for Sadism and Masochism. BDSM is also linked to fetishism. The definitions of BDSM analyzed were taken from the Internet, which had it specificities considered. The historic contextualization of the object is presented and discussed through the medical and psychiatric construction of sexual perversions. The analysis of the BDSM discourse and its comparison with historical psychiatric definitions indicates the central role the notion of consent plays in legitimating the practice of BDSM and in distinguishing it from pathological behaviors, in constant dialog with contemporary psychiatry.

Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro / Esta i investigação tem como objeto o discurso de legitimação de praticantes de condutas sexuais tradicionalmente classificadas como perversões, chamadas por seus adeptos de BDSM sigla que descreve diversas práticas ou jogos sexuais: B é para Bondage, o par B & D para bondage e Disciplina. O par D & S para Dominação e Submissão, e o par S & M para Sadismo e Masoquismo. O BDSM liga-se ainda ao fetichismo. As definições de BDSM analisadas foram retiradas da Internet, cujas especificidades são abordadas. Para a contextualização histórica do objeto foi apresentada e discutida a construção médico- psiquiátrica das perversões sexuais. A análise do discurso BDSM e sua comparação com definições psiquiátrica indicaram a centralidade da noção de consentimento como argumento de legitimação e distinção de comportamentos patológicos, principalmente no diálogo com a psiquiatria contemporânea. / The object of this investigation is the legitimating discourse of the adherents of sexual practices traditionally classified as perversions, called BDSM by their adepts which describes various practices or sexual games: B stands for Bondage, their pair B & D stands for bondage and Discipline, their pairs D & S stands for Domination and Submission, and the pair S & M stands for Sadism and Masochism. BDSM is also linked to fetishism. The definitions of BDSM analyzed were taken from the Internet, which had it specificities considered. The historic contextualization of the object is presented and discussed through the medical and psychiatric construction of sexual perversions. The analysis of the BDSM discourse and its comparison with historical psychiatric definitions indicates the central role the notion of consent plays in legitimating the practice of BDSM and in distinguishing it from pathological behaviors, in constant dialog with contemporary psychiatry.

Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul / Proceeding from ethnographic research conducted in digital virtual 3D Second Life world from 2013 to 2015, an analisys to identify and study the BDSM sociabilities as the relations of affection, love and sex among practitioners of this non-hegemonic kind of sexuality was carried. In this process, were observed issues such as sexual virtuality and body building for cibersexualities and the relationship between pain, humiliation and affection, love and gratitude in the hierarchical relationships of dominant and submissive participants of the BDSM communities encompassed in the online universe. Based on participant observation and interviews with virtual world SL residents, this work aims at understanding love relationships and negotiations that take place amidst sexual practices and morality values of the community. The relationships between practitioners draw a complex web of affections, enabling a micropolitics of emotions which is reflected in actions of care, gratitude and reciprocity. The notion of BDSM as a transgression, a sort of practice that, by being rationalized and controlled, in the search for its legitimacy, creates its own interdictions- such as romantic love and vanilla relationships- is also addressed. / A partir de pesquisa etnográfica realizada no mundo virtual digital 3D Second Life entre os anos de 2013 e 2015, identifiquei e analisei as sociabilidades BDSM, bem como as relações sexuais, de afeto e amorosas entre praticantes dessa sexualidade não hegemônica. Essa dissertação perpassa questões como a virtualidade do sexo e construção do corpo para cibersexualidades, a articulação entre dor, humilhação e carinho, amor, gratidão nas relações hierárquicas entre dominadores e submissos englobados nas comunidades BDSM do universo online. Com base em observação participante e entrevistas com residentes do mundo virtual SL, busco compreender os relacionamentos amorosos e as negociações que acontecem entre práticas sexuais e moralidades das comunidades. Essas relações entre praticantes traçam uma complexa rede de afetos, possibilitando uma micropolítica das emoções, refletidas em cuidados, gratidão e reciprocidade. É abordada também a noção de BDSM enquanto transgressão, prática que ao ser racionalizada e controlada, na busca por legitimação, cria seus próprios interditos, como o amor romântico e relacionamentos baunilha.

[pt] Esta investigação toma por objeto de estudo a subcultura BDSM – Bondage, Disciplina, Dominação, Submissão e Sadomasoquismo e a sua concepção de amor. No centro dessa subcultura, estão jogos sexuais que erotizam o poder e que são comumente denominados jogos de dominação e submissão. Por meio de uma etnografia virtual, percebeu-se a existência de um modelo de amor com contornos bem específicos – o amor BDSM. A partir da definição de algumas das nuances dessa categoria nativa, buscou-se dialogar com certos elementos do amor romântico e do amor confluente, caracterizado por Anthony Giddens, a fim de se refletir sobre possíveis aproximações e tensões envolvidas na tipologia amorosa. Como manifestação contemporânea, o amor BDSM dialoga com outras formas de amor e com as relações de gênero existentes na sociedade envolvente. / [en] This research takes as object of study the subculture BDSM – Bondage, Discipline, Domination, Submission and Sadomasochism and his conception of love. At the center of this subculture are sexual games that eroticize power and which are commonly called of dominance and submission games. Through a virtual ethnography, it is realized the existence of a model of love with very specific contours – love BDSM. From the definition of some of the nuances of this native category, this investigation tried to talk to certain elements of romantic love and confluent love, characterized by Anthony Giddens, in order to reflect on possible approaches and tensions involved in loving type. As contemporary manifestation, the love BDSM dialogue with other forms of love and the relations of gender in the surrounding society.

Syftet med denna kunskapsöversikt var att sammanställa och undersöka kunskap kring BDSM kopplat till våld, samtycke och normer. Genom att samla in forskning från en bredd av olika fält introducerade denna studie olika perspektiv på BDSM till socialt arbete. För människor som arbetar med individer som misstänks vara våldsutsatta eller möter människor som utövar BDSM är det viktigt att kunna skilja på BDSM-utövning från våld och övergrepp. Analysen av de 28 relevanta källorna redovisades i tre teman. Våld och BDSM som visade att även om det finns klara skillnader gällande samtycke och syfte mellan våld och BDSM ser vissa människor BDSM som våld. Sexuella normer, samtycke och BDSM uppmärksammade att BDSM-gemenskaper både har en mer komplex förståelse och ett tydligare sätt att kommunicera kring samt förhandla fram samtycke än övriga samhället. BDSM:s stigmatisering och dess konsekvenser uppmärksammade bemötandet av BDSM-utövare och behovet av mer kunskap och förståelse, speciellt inom människobehandlande yrken. / The aim for this literature review was to compile and examine research on the topic of BDSM connected to consent, norms, and violence. By collecting research from different scientific fields, this study introduced the different perspectives of BDSM to the field of social work. It is important for people who work with individuals who practice BDSM or people that might be subjected to violence to maintain knowledge about how to differentiate abuse and violence from BDSM. The analysis of the twenty-eight studies are declared in three themes. Violence and BDSM which showed that despite the clear differences in consent and purpose between violence and BDSM there are still people who see BDSM as abusive. Sexual norms, consent and BDSM highlighted how BDSM-communities have both a more complex understanding surrounding consent as well as more clear-cut way of communicating and negotiating it compared to the rest of society. BDSMs stigmatization and its consequences  highlighted the treatment of BDSM-practitioners and the need for more knowledge and understanding especially when it comes to professions that are supposed to help people.

“Textual Glory Holes” examines a particular online fan community called a kink meme, in which fans exchange sexually-charged fanfiction as gifts. In this essay, I argue that, not only does the genre of fanfiction help to create and sustain the concept of kink, but that kink as a category is an interpellation of, experimentation with, and performance of the eroticism of genre in fanfiction. Furthermore, the kink meme community constitutes itself by performing this fannish erotics for each other in fiction and in sexualized feedback, resulting in a community that embraces the pleasures of this performance but sometimes distances itself from the power and political implications of the performance. Moments when fans do not distance themselves from this erotics of genre—one of unearthing and understanding diverse and diffuse pleasures—hold the potential to become what Audre Lorde calls “creative energy empowered,” a shared pleasure that can “lessen the threat of difference.” / text