it isn't really though. the production and consumption of pornography is inherently rooted in the political, social and economic conditions of any given society, and equally as importantly those conditions shape responses to sex work and pornography. Here I'm thinking back to a really wicked African Studies prof I had many years back who was interested in the study of sex work. Each era and area of study she assigned included an examination of how social conditions and econ/tech shifts shaped the nature of sex work and porn in that location (for example: male prostitution in south african colonies and women's interaction with 'black markets' including prostitution as a result of being shut out of many so-called 'legit' econ spheres). In a more modern example, how have tech advances affected sex work (eg: camming) and those who particpate in it? Do qualitative experiences of sex work differ based upon social race or nation of residence and if so how? I'm just thinking off of the top of my head here based on some of the issues that get raised over in cc, but I use those examples to illustrate that as an academic field this is a huge area of study that involves far more than just men jacking off.
Who gets off, how do they get off, to whom and why and
who is involved in producing the content and how and why would be some of the areas of inquiry involved here.
I'm with you here. One of the ethical issues raised in research about an 'other' (as in, the individuals who are the object of research) is that all too often legitimate voices and knowledge resources are omited from the production due to the rigid confines of the academic process that often ignores the value of experiential knowledge from outside the institution. This is a big issue of concern in Indigenous Research, for example, mainly because so many people who are the object of study don't have access to the priviledged confines of the university setting where the knowledge is produced. No one can produce an ongoing academic journal based upon experiential sources alone though, that was my point.
happy holidays back atcha

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