The Erotic: 2007 Conference Programme Session 1

Session 1: Diverse Erotics
Chair: Paul Reynolds

Sport, Pleasure and the Body: 'You Cannot be Serious!'
Ian Wellard
Centre for Physical Education Research, Faculty of Education, Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, United Kingdom

Social constructions of Sport and the Erotic are generally expressed in terms of each occupying opposing binary positions. When the erotic is applied to sport it is more likely from the perspective of an outsider looking in, such as the erotic gaze upon athletes. Accommodating the erotic from within is more problematic and it is suggested that although the ‘pleasurable’ aspects of sporting participation are very much present, they are generally masked by other, more acceptable social forms of behaviour.
Recent post-structuralist writing has highlighted the importance of the body in the construction of social identities and there have been attempts to apply Queer Theory to sport.
However, Connell’s concept of body-reflexive-practices provides an approach which incorporates both the social and biological factors which shape the construction of identities as well as how the body is experienced. Ultimately, it is often the case that within the context of sport, the possibilities which arise to challenge established understandings of gender, sexuality and bodily experience can be lost in the effort to adopt or adapt to the (hetero)normative performances of mainstream sport. In his more recent work, Pronger, drawing upon Drucilla Cornell’s (1992) ‘philosophy of limit’, describes the potential, or ‘puissance’ (2002, page 66), to be found in bodily pleasures which exist ‘outside’ the boundaries of conventional thinking.
For this presentation, I draw upon theoretical perspectives as well as research into sport and body practices in order to explore whether it is possible to acknowledge ‘pleasurable’ sport, which allows the potential for participants to ‘enjoy’ their bodies more fully. It is suggested that many sports could provide opportunities to cater for those with a variety of bodies and not place specific heteronormative bodily performances or government directives (such as health, elite sport achievement) as the prerequisite for participation. To this extent, should we be looking at the erotic as a way of pushing the boundaries of existing sporting practices as well as thinking about the body?

And They Called It Puppy Love: Children and Erotic Love
David White
Department of Philosophy, University of calgary, Canada

People are capable of experiencing a wide range of emotions. Some of the most basic ones include anger, fear, sadness, happiness, and disgust. Such emotions can be experienced by people of all ages. But of all of the emotions that a person can have there is one that is typically thought not possible for children to experience: erotic love. In fact, the term "puppy love" is frequently used to refer to the closest equivalent emotion children can have and is thought of as an immature precursor to the ability to experience erotic feelings. This paper will explore to what extent children can go beyond this and experience erotic love.
One important debate that is unsettled in the study of emotions is the degree to which emotional experience is cognitive. A feeling like joy seems to occur naturally (given the right stimulus) without a great deal of reflection or consideration. But some emotions - like shame, for example - seem to require a more complex understanding of social relationships and their significance in order to be felt properly. So it seems a natural hypothesis that if erotic love is not possible for children that it might be because such an emotion has a cognitive component that a person is only capable of having as an adult.
But if the conventional wisdom that erotic love is impossible for children to experience is wrong, then an explanation of why this is falsely believed is needed. Issues relating to children and sexual development are extremely controversial. Not only is there great disagreement about when it is appropriate for a young person to begin sexual activity, there is great disagreement about at what age issues of sex and sexuality should be discussed with them. It is possible, then, that a desire to shield children from erotic experiences and sexual knowledge could explain why some might deny that children can have erotic feelings.
This paper will examine both of the above hypotheses in depth and concludes that while neither of them alone captures the truth of the matter, there might be a middle ground that both shed light on.

Hospitality and Eroticism
Tom Selwyn*& Hazel Andrews**
* Department of Anthropology, London Metropolitan University, London and ** Centre for Tourism, Consumer and Food Studies, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
This paper aims to provoke discussion and reflection on the role of the erotic in the cultivation of spaces of hospitality, and to provide a theoretical consideration of the structural similarities of hospitality and eroticism. With reference to classical studies as well as debates in the social science literature, the paper starts by examining some of the theoretical and philosophical underpinnings to hospitality and eroticism. It then develops this analysis by considering examples drawn from ethnographic studies of ‘traditional’ hospitality settings as well as of commercial hospitality environments of charter tourism. The main outcome of the discussion is to demonstrate the structural relations between hospitality and eroticism. By situating the analysis within a broad theoretical and ethnographic context, it is shown that the erotic has historically functioned as a socially-binding and communicative mode of social intercourse that, while undermined by the demands of a market-based culture of commercial hospitality, is also able to flourish within these same adverse conditions.
The paper invites further research into the connections between hospitality and eroticism in settings similar to and different from those discussed in the paper. It argues that a fuller ethnographic study of the relationship between the two is needed, as well as an exploration of more theoretical perspectives on hospitality drawn from the social science literature. By highlighting the socially binding role of eroticism in the structuring of host-guest relations, the paper draws on and contributes to a broader politics of love and sensuality that will inform critical reflections on commercial and market-driven hospitality practices.



3rd Global Conference Friday 16th November - Sunday 18th November 2007 Salzburg, Austria Conference Programme, Abstracts and Papers
Session 1: Diverse Erotics Chair: Paul Reynolds Sport, Pleasure and the Body: 'You Cannot be Serious!' Ian Wellard Centre for Physical Education Research, Faculty of Education, Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, United Kingdom Social constructions of Sport and the Erotic are generally expressed in terms of each occupying opposing binary positions. When the erotic is applied to sport it is more likely from the perspective of an outsider looking in, such as the erotic gaze upon athletes. Accommodating the erotic from within is more problematic and it is suggested that although the ‘pleasurable’ aspects of sporting participation are very much present, they are generally masked by other, more acceptable social forms of behaviour. Recent post-structuralist writing has highlighted the importance of the body in the construction of social identities and there have been attempts to apply Queer Theory to sport. However, Connell’s concept of body-reflexive-practices provides an approach which incorporates both the social and biological factors which shape the construction of identities as well as how the body is experienced. Ultimately, it is often the case that within the context of sport, the possibilities which arise to challenge established understandings of gender, sexuality and bodily experience can be lost in the effort to adopt or adapt to the (hetero)normative performances of mainstream sport. In his more recent work, Pronger, drawing upon Drucilla Cornell’s (1992) ‘philosophy of limit’, describes the potential, or ‘puissance’ (2002, page 66), to be found in bodily pleasures which exist ‘outside’ the boundaries of conventional thinking. For this presentation, I draw upon theoretical perspectives as well as research into sport and body practices in order to explore whether it is possible to acknowledge ‘pleasurable’ sport, which allows the potential for participants to ‘enjoy’ their bodies more fully. It is suggested that many sports could provide opportunities to cater for those with a variety of bodies and not place specific heteronormative bodily performances or government directives (such as health, elite sport achievement) as the prerequisite for participation. To this extent, should we be looking at the erotic as a way of pushing the boundaries of existing sporting practices as well as thinking about the body? And They Called It Puppy Love: Children and Erotic Love David White Department of Philosophy, University of calgary, Canada People are capable of experiencing a wide range of emotions. Some of the most basic ones include anger, fear, sadness, happiness, and disgust. Such emotions can be experienced by people of all ages. But of all of the emotions that a person can have there is one that is typically thought not possible for children to experience: erotic love. In fact, the term "puppy love" is frequently used to refer to the closest equivalent emotion children can have and is thought of as an immature precursor to the ability to experience erotic feelings. This paper will explore to what extent children can go beyond this and experience erotic love. One important debate that is unsettled in the study of emotions is the degree to which emotional experience is cognitive. A feeling like joy seems to occur naturally (given the right stimulus) without a great deal of reflection or consideration. But some emotions - like shame, for example - seem to require a more complex understanding of social relationships and their significance in order to be felt properly. So it seems a natural hypothesis that if erotic love is not possible for children that it might be because such an emotion has a cognitive component that a person is only capable of having as an adult. But if the conventional wisdom that erotic love is impossible for children to experience is wrong, then an explanation of why this is falsely believed is needed. Issues relating to children and sexual development are extremely controversial. Not only is there great disagreement about when it is appropriate for a young person to begin sexual activity, there is great disagreement about at what age issues of sex and sexuality should be discussed with them. It is possible, then, that a desire to shield children from erotic experiences and sexual knowledge could explain why some might deny that children can have erotic feelings. This paper will examine both of the above hypotheses in depth and concludes that while neither of them alone captures the truth of the matter, there might be a middle ground that both shed light on. Hospitality and Eroticism Tom Selwyn& Hazel Andrews* * Department of Anthropology, London Metropolitan University, London and ** Centre for Tourism, Consumer and Food Studies, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom This paper aims to provoke discussion and reflection on the role of the erotic in the cultivation of spaces of hospitality, and to provide a theoretical consideration of the structural similarities of hospitality and eroticism. With reference to classical studies as well as debates in the social science literature, the paper starts by examining some of the theoretical and philosophical underpinnings to hospitality and eroticism. It then develops this analysis by considering examples drawn from ethnographic studies of ‘traditional’ hospitality settings as well as of commercial hospitality environments of charter tourism. The main outcome of the discussion is to demonstrate the structural relations between hospitality and eroticism. By situating the analysis within a broad theoretical and ethnographic context, it is shown that the erotic has historically functioned as a socially-binding and communicative mode of social intercourse that, while undermined by the demands of a market-based culture of commercial hospitality, is also able to flourish within these same adverse conditions. The paper invites further research into the connections between hospitality and eroticism in settings similar to and different from those discussed in the paper. It argues that a fuller ethnographic study of the relationship between the two is needed, as well as an exploration of more theoretical perspectives on hospitality drawn from the social science literature. By highlighting the socially binding role of eroticism in the structuring of host-guest relations, the paper draws on and contributes to a broader politics of love and sensuality that will inform critical reflections on commercial and market-driven hospitality practices.
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