Reviews with content warning for Colonisation - The Right to Sex: Feminism in the Twenty-First Century

A intersectional feminist book around the politics around sex. It covers in detail, the waves of feminist movements since the 2nd half of the 20th Century and how certain topics (Pornography, sex work, sexuality) have caused rifts within.

The books main topic is around sexual politics, particularly in US/UK academic settings. It asks (and tries to answer) questions around consent/non-consent, legalisation of sex work and how current views of sex can have different outcomes depending on social background, ethnicity, gender identification or even job title.

The asks many thought-provoking questions such as (paraphrasing here) "even if you have consent from a potential sex partner, should you still go ahead" or "your attraction to certain peoples/things... Are they inherent or is it heavily influenced by external factors no how neutral you try to be? "

The book is really well-written and think Amia Srinavasan has laid down her argument in a really thoughtful and interesting manner and it's well worth a read even if you don't fully agree with its points.

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ivi_reads_books's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

The book explores among other topics why thinking in absolutes like 'I believe her' perpetuate injustice. It looks at the intersectionality of gender, sex, race, social status, ability etc. and ties them all together in a compelling way.
I was unsure whether I should read the book because I usually get bored with philosiphical texts but this one held my attention

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savvylit's review against another edition

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challenging informative medium-paced

5.0

More than anything else, The Right to Sex explores the dynamics between pleasure and power. From incels to the MeToo movement to pornography to professor-student relationships, Srinivasan deftly examines the structures that uphold misogyny in the full spectrum of subtle to blatant. The titular essay and its coda on The Politics of Desire are deeply memorable and incredibly thorough explorations of power, ethics, and consent.

I truly loved this collection so much for many reasons. And when I love something, I can often find it hard to say why. One thing that I loved (that I do feel able to articulate) was Srinivasan's ability to consider and demolish rebuttals to her arguments. Amia Srinivasan is truly an immensely talented writer and philosopher. I highly recommend The Right to Sex to anyone even remotely interested in feminism or social justice.

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tanya_mahadwar's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective slow-paced

4.5

Definitely a book that everyone should be reading. A bit dense and hard to read (in part due to the weight of the subject) at times, but jam packed with thought provoking questions that will genuinely make you ponder the state of “Post Me-Too” feminism.

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karol99's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective slow-paced

3.75

Took me way to long to finish it. I enjoyed the first half of the book, but then found myself starting and finishing as I never gravitated to finish this. Happy I did though! It was a very informative and interesting read. Definitely wish I has read it back when I was writing my dissertation, it would be really good as a reference!

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