Carleton University Law Prof. Ummni Khan will launch her new book Vicarious Kinks: s/m in the socio-legal imaginary at Ottawa store Venus Envy on June 11, 2014. The launch will include music, performances, readings and discussions.

“Who decides where normal stops and perverse begins,” asks Khan? “In this book, I look at the mass of claims that film, feminism, the human sciences and law make about sadomasochism and its practitioners, and the way those claims become the basis for the legal regulation of sadomasochist pornography and practice. I propose that for film, feminism, law and science, the constant focus on taboo sexuality is a form of ‘vicarious kink’ itself.”

When: June 11, 2014. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Where: Venus Envy, 226 Bank Street, Ottawa
Note: The venue is wheelchair accessible.

Rather than attempt to establish the “truth” about sadomasochism, Vicarious Kinks asks who decides that sadomasochism is perverse, examining how various fields present their claims to truth. The book works at the juncture of law and sexuality, and challenges the myth of law as an objective adjudicator of sexual truth.

Vicarious Kinks is an exceptionally interesting and important book that addresses an issue that has received inadequate scholarly attention,” said Christine Bruckert, Department of Criminology, University of Ottawa. “Solidly theorized and characterized by sophisticated conceptual engagement, the book unpacks the socio-legal context of s/m in a clear and concise manner with the periodic ironic quip which draws the reader in.”

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