The Politics of Lust

THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF EROTOPHOBIA The Politics of Lust. By John Ince. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 2005, 335 pages. Paper, $16.00.

Reviewed by Andreas G. Philaretou, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Cyprus College, 6 Diogenes Str. Engomi, P.O. Box 22006, 1516 Nicosia, Cyprus; e-mail: [email protected].

In a casual and easy-to-understand tone, The Politics of Lust provides a thought-provoking account of erotophobia at the macro- and meso-sociocultural level as well as the microsocial psychological one. This book is suitable for a wide range of educational and lay audiences who are interested in gaining valuable insight into the inner workings of the politics of sexuality.

In this fascinating book, John Ince examines the sociocultural ambivalences and contradictions surrounding human sexuality and our micro-erotophobic conditioning toward the free expression and experiencing of our sexual inclinations. Ince delves into an adventurous exploration of erotophobic conditioning, its impact on our lives and culture, and the complex political system that brings it to fruition.

The overall organization of Ince's book revolves around the causes of erotophobia, especially their link to a group of behaviors he labels as antisexualism. The author defines antisexualism as the social construction of an intolerant, phobic, and anxiety-laden sexual environment, which consists of stereotypical attitudes, prejudicial beliefs, and discriminatory behaviors aimed at discouraging individuals from aspiring toward a more liberal, naturalistic, and expressive erotic and sexual ethos. As he states, "Antisexualism has much in common with intolerant behavior aimed at racial or religious minorities. In the same way that racism promotes racial prejudice, antisexualism breeds erotophobia" (p. 11).

The first 13 chapters of the book provide a detailed examination of the variants of antisexualism (the first cause of erotophobia), such as live nudity, nude images, premarital sex, contraception, masturbation, oral and anal sex, childhood sexuality, sex education, sexual fantasy, extramarital sex, sexual discourse, pornography, prostitution, and homosexuality. Chapter 14 deals with the second cause of erotophobia, having to do primarily with harmful sexual acts, which the author labels as nasty sex, such as rape, violent pornography, unhappy and unwanted sexual initiation, and sexual behavior leading to the contraction of a sexually transmitted infection or to an unwanted pregnancy.

Chapter 15 explores the third cause of erotophobia, that having to do with its link to personality traits....