Alternative Pornographies, Regulatory Fantasies and Resistance Politics Zahra Zsuzsanna Stardust Bachelor of Arts (History) (University of Sydney) Bachelor of Laws (Hons) (University of Sydney) Master of Arts (Gender and Cultural Studies) (University of Sydney) Thesis submitted to fulfil requirements of a Doctor of Philosophy in the School of Arts and Media at the University of New South Wales. March 2019. Supervised by Professor Ramaswami Harindranath, Dr Daniel Joyce and Professor Kath Albury. 1 Contents Dissertation sheet ............................................................................................................................................ 5 Originality Statement ....................................................................................................................................... 6 Inclusion of Publications Statement .................................................................................................................. 7 Copyright and Authenticity Statement .............................................................................................................. 8 Abstract ........................................................................................................................................................... 9 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................................ 10 Relevant Publications and Presentations Arising from this Research ............................................................... 12 Vignette: Cinematic Intimacies ....................................................................................................................... 14 Chapter 1: Introduction: Pornographic Interventions ...................................................................................... 18 1.1 Research design.................................................................................................................................... 19 1.2 Social movements ................................................................................................................................ 20 1.3 Porn studies ......................................................................................................................................... 22 1.4 Internet studies .................................................................................................................................... 25 1.5 Regulatory trends ................................................................................................................................. 26 1.6 Australian research ............................................................................................................................... 28 1.7 Conceptual framework ......................................................................................................................... 30 1.8 Schematic outline ................................................................................................................................. 32 1.9 Significance .......................................................................................................................................... 35 Vignette: Sex and the Academy ...................................................................................................................... 37 Chapter 2: Studying Sex: Methodology ........................................................................................................... 41 2.1 Looking behind-the-scenes ................................................................................................................... 42 2.2 Speaking back to the law ...................................................................................................................... 44 2.3 Ethical considerations ........................................................................................................................... 47 2.4 Auto-pornographic ethnography........................................................................................................... 51 2.5 Legal and archival review ...................................................................................................................... 53 2.6 Giving back to community .................................................................................................................... 54 Vignette: Trial and Error ................................................................................................................................. 57 Chapter 3: World-Making Projects: Motivations, Interventions and Provocations ............................................ 60 3.1 Alt, indie, DIY porn ................................................................................................................................ 61 3.2 Diversity, inclusion and representation ................................................................................................. 65 3.3 Reorienting the gaze ............................................................................................................................. 68 3.4 Hardcore intimacies, displaced sex ....................................................................................................... 70 3.5 Community archives ............................................................................................................................. 73 3.6 Collective ownership ............................................................................................................................ 75 3.7 Professional sexperts ............................................................................................................................ 77 3.8 Post-pornographies .............................................................................................................................. 80 Vignette: Non-Violent Erotica ......................................................................................................................... 82 2 Chapter 4: Criminal Intimacies: Regulatory Frameworks and Fantasies ............................................................ 86 4.1 A recent invention ................................................................................................................................ 87 4.2 Dirt for dirt’s sake ................................................................................................................................. 89 4.3 Is the reasonable person kinky? ............................................................................................................ 91 4.4 Public sex as matter out of place........................................................................................................... 94 4.5 Fetish and abjection ............................................................................................................................. 97 4.6 ‘We’re going to destroy the whole thing’ ............................................................................................ 100 4.7 Costs of compliance ............................................................................................................................ 103 4.8 Disrespect for the law ......................................................................................................................... 105 4.9 Pleasure in transgression .................................................................................................................... 108 Vignette: Getting our Hands Wet .................................................................................................................. 111 Chapter 5: Imagining Alternatives: Towards a Prefigurative Politics ............................................................... 114 5.1 Precarious protections ........................................................................................................................ 115 5.2 Sex worker rights ................................................................................................................................ 117 5.3 Collaboration ...................................................................................................................................... 120 5.4 Consent cultures................................................................................................................................. 123 5.5 Risk, safety and sexual health ............................................................................................................. 124 5.6 Privacy for exhibitionists ..................................................................................................................... 127 5.7 Responsible consumption ................................................................................................................... 130 5.8 Conflicts in compliance ....................................................................................................................... 131 5.9 Doing it ourselves ............................................................................................................................... 134 Vignette: Pinkwashing Pornography ............................................................................................................. 136 Chapter 6: Safe for Work: Privatisation and Sanitisation of Online Space ....................................................... 139 6.1 Fantasies of democratisation