Sexual ethics and the erotics of consent

The issue of sexual consent remains a controversial one with legal discourses of consent dominating debates about sex and sexual violence. However these discourses operate alongside other bodies of knowledge that also seek to regulate sexual practices. In particular there is evidence of psychological, socio/cultural, feminist and religious discourses present in much of the literature (Baumeister and Tice, 2001, Card, 1991, Cowling, 1998, Krahe et aI., 2000, Mappes and Zembaty, 1997, Primoratz, 1999). Other authors in this collection will address some of these areas and their application to different social contexts, groups and settings. My approach will be somewhat different. What I wish to focus on is the role of sexual ethics. While consent is an element here, I will argue that this remains a limited concept without some consideration of how individuals as sexed and gendered bodies constitute themselves as ethical or unethical subjects within the social body and within interpersonal relationships and sexual encounters. My discussion draws on subjective perceptions and reflections based on the Australian experience and while I think the issues have universal resonance, recognition of cultural variations is important.