We talk with criminologist and 'sexademic' Dr. Samantha Keene on some of the ethical conundrums that arise with consuming erotic material, particularly gender-based harm.

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Shownotes:

Dr Keene, “How we can help dismantle rape culture,” Newsroom, August 3, 2023, https://newsroom.co.nz/2023/03/08/rape-culture-rough-sex-and-rape-trials/. 

Dr Keene on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-samantha-keene/ 

“The Sex Wars 1970s to 1980s” OutHistory, https://outhistory.org/exhibits/show/lesbians-20th-century/sex-wars. 

Discussion Questions:

What does Dr. Keene mean when she suggests that we need a richer narrative than a simple causal link between consumption of erotic material and physical harm?

Dr. Keene stated that as humans, we struggle with processing the reality that we can feel more than one thing at a time. What are your reactions to this idea that we must look deeper than a single feeling to tell us whether something is right or wrong?

Erotic material does not exist in a vacuum. What other narratives in education, culture, religion, news, movies, and books must we consider to see a wider constellation of sexual scripts?

Some argue that the biggest indicator of erotic material affecting one’s real life is media literacy. In other words, knowing erotic material isn’t real life can help people maintain a healthy and ethical sex life. Do you think written material is easier to distinguish as fantasy? Why or why not?

In this episode, Michael and Michaela go to XO Books, the newest romance bookstore in Pōneke (Wellington), for an interview with bookseller Juliet Gengenbach. We discuss the transformative power of romance books, the misogyny that sidelines romance as a genre, and the close links between materiality and spirituality.

Further Reading:

Interview with David Morgan about Religion & Material Culture: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/podcast/podcast-david-morgan-on-material-religion/. 

Discussion Questions:

Juliet argued that romance books can be profound and life-changing stories. What stories have you found to be inspiring, awe-inducing, or life-changing? For you, what is the relationship—if any—between genre and a story’s impact?

A recurring theme in our conversation was how misogyny shows up in discourse about romance stories and even defining 'smut'. What does misogyny mean to you?

We spoke at length about material culture. What does your religious tradition say about the importance of physical objects? Are there physical objects that are holy or sacred? If you don’t come from a religious tradition, are there any objects sacred to you? How do these objects become sacred?

We suggested that the romance bookstore can operate as a religious site: a place of community, a repository of sacred texts, and a place of transformation. Look at the schedule and kaupapa [underlying philosophy] of a local community bookstore and a local religious site. What is similar? What is different?

On Lived Religion:

Nancy Ammerman, “Lived Religion as an Emerging Field,” Nordic Journal of Religion and Society 29, no. 2 (2022) https://www.tf.uio.no/forskning/forskergrupper/levd-religion/arrangementer/2022/ammerman-2016.pdf. 

On prototype theory:

Kevin Schilbrack, "The Concept of Religion," The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2022 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2022/entries/concept-religion. 

On stigma of romance novels: Elizabeth Reid Boyd, “To the mattresses: a defence of romance fiction,” The Conversation, February 14, 2017, https://theconversation.com/to-the-mattresses-a-defence-of-romance-fiction-72587. 

Molly Tullis, “The Power of Smut,” Freewriting Blog,  Sept 28, 2024. https://getfreewrite.com/blogs/writing-success/the-power-of-smut-peeking-inside-the-internet-s-favorite-genre. 

Discussion Questions:

How would you define smut? Think about your definition. What is excluded from your definition? Is there anything included that others might not include?

On the pod, we talked about the politics of definitions and categories. What writing counts as ‘high brow’ versus ‘low brow’? Who decides these things? What is the result of these social categorisations?

We made the case that definitions actually tell us more about ourselves and society than they do about the definition itself. What do you think of when you think of ‘religion’? What does that tell you about your social position?

This podcast discusses A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR), using the text as a case study for exploring how scholars of religion approach pop culture artifacts.

Further Reading:

Francis Stewart, “Editorial: Sharing a Research Approach within the Journal of Religion and Popular Culture,” Journal of Religion and Popular Culture 38, no. 1 (2026). https://online.ucpress.edu/jrpc/article/38/1/1/217835/EditorialSharing-a-Research-Approach-within-the 

Andrew M. Henry, “Why Fictional Religions Feel So Fake,” YouTube: Religion for Breakfast, Aug 23, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjrrUZeJMSo. 

Discussion Questions:

We discussed how the author’s religious background might influence her writing, as well as how the reader’s background plays a huge role in how a text lands. What parts of your religious background resonate (or are dissonant) with ACOTAR?

One of the topics we did not get to discuss was the Children of the Blessed in ACOTAR. This group is peripheral to the book, but one of the only in-world religions among humans. The humans in ACOTAR largely have no religion, which is almost unheard of in our world. How does this disconnect between our world and ACOTAR help understand the role and place of religion in your culture?

The Akedah—or the binding of Isaac—is one of the most studied passages in Abrahamic faiths. Read through the passage in Genesis and then in the Qur’an. How do these two tellings of the tale mirror, reflect, and refract the ending of ACOTAR where Feyre holds the dagger?

Introducing a brand new podcast on the intersections of 'smut' and the academic study of religion!