Let's Talk about Sex

Professor Karyn Ball looks at outdated issues of intimacy… that really aren't so outdated

Caroline Barlott - 03 October 2016

Few would say that today's views of sexuality are similar to those of the 19th century. After all, sex is no longer a taboo topic, and today, many strive for sex to be seen as a positive experience for all gender identities.

But Professor Karyn Ball believes societal views are more complex than that. Ball is this year's speaker at the annual Edmund Kemper Broadus Lecture Series, hosted by her home department of English & Film Studies. She will be conducting two talks, comparing current events to views held by historical figures, including 19th century French social theorist, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon. It's a topic Ball studies alongside colleague Stefan Mattessich of Santa Monica College.

Proudhon believed that women who didn't value traditional marriage were morally bankrupt. In fact, he used the word "pornocracy" to describe society; in his mind, men were sexually superior and deserved their power, while women would resort to prostitution. If women gained rights - from political involvement to inclusion on the stage - he believed moral problems and corruption would result.

Today, his prejudice can easily be dismissed as wildly outdated. But Ball demonstrates that, while these ideas are often not overt in contemporary culture, they still lurk below the surface.

She even applies these ideas more broadly to many minority groups and the issues they're currently facing. A dominant group often tries to control not just financial assets, but erotic assets, says Ball. Proudhon's anxieties, therefore, are surprisingly alive and well in politics and popular culture - you can see them in Donald Trump's comments about women, and they're reflected in fears about gay marriage.

In the same vein, Ball will also examine the idea that powerful and rich men "feel they're entitled to have sex with whomever they want, regardless of legal frameworks, and that any person they choose should be available to them." This resonates with Ball in both historical and contemporary spheres.

She points to a recent Vanity Fair article that speaks of the "new prostitution economy," or young people using their dates to help them get ahead. So, in some cases, sexual liberation still equated with moral upheaval today.

"The writer [of the Vanity Fair piece] is giving voice to things that Proudhon worried about in the 19th century. So, there are people currently who are anxious about sexual liberation and are just opening their mouths now," says Ball. She will interweave historical elements with present-day events, challenging the way we view issues of intimacy.

The Edmund Kemper Broadus Lectures are open to the public. The first lecture, "The Duty of the Tyrant, or Proudhon with Sade" will take place on Monday, October 3. The second lecture, "The Enjoyment of the Emperor," will take place on Friday, October 7. Both lectures will be held from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in HC-L3. A reception will follow the Friday lecture in the Department of English & Film Studies, on the third floor of Humanities.