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Raw: PrEP, Pedagogy, and the Politics of Barebacking
Marking the tenth anniversary of Unlimited Intimacy, Tim Dean's seminal work, Raw returns to the question of sex without condoms, or barebacking, a timely topic in the age of PrEP, a drug that virtually eliminates the transmission of HIV. The authors in Raw push Dean's conclusions and show the urgent need to consider condomless sex, as it is still illegal for HIV-positive people in many jurisdictions.
"Significantly broadens the field of scholarship on bareback, notably by including pieces on bareback in heterosexual pornography, by making connections with lesbian and BDSM identities and practices, and by discussing the experience of Black bareback bottoms and treating sex education considerations." --Oliver Davis, author of Jacques Ranci�re
Contributors: Jonathan A. Allan (Brandon University), Joseph Brennan (Sydney, Australia), Tim Dean (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), Elliot Evans (University of Birmingham), Christien Garcia (University of Cambridge), Octavio R. Gonzales (Wellesley College), Adam J. Greteman (School of the Art Institute of Chicago), Frank G. Karioris (University of Pittsburgh & American University of Central Asia), Gareth Longstaff (Newcastle University), Paul Morris (San Francisco), Susanna Paasonen (University of Turku), Diego Semerene (Oxford Brookes University), Evangelos Tziallas (Concordia University), Ricky Varghese (Toronto), Rinaldo Walcott (University of Toronto)
"Significantly broadens the field of scholarship on bareback, notably by including pieces on bareback in heterosexual pornography, by making connections with lesbian and BDSM identities and practices, and by discussing the experience of Black bareback bottoms and treating sex education considerations." --Oliver Davis, author of Jacques Ranci�re
Contributors: Jonathan A. Allan (Brandon University), Joseph Brennan (Sydney, Australia), Tim Dean (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), Elliot Evans (University of Birmingham), Christien Garcia (University of Cambridge), Octavio R. Gonzales (Wellesley College), Adam J. Greteman (School of the Art Institute of Chicago), Frank G. Karioris (University of Pittsburgh & American University of Central Asia), Gareth Longstaff (Newcastle University), Paul Morris (San Francisco), Susanna Paasonen (University of Turku), Diego Semerene (Oxford Brookes University), Evangelos Tziallas (Concordia University), Ricky Varghese (Toronto), Rinaldo Walcott (University of Toronto)
- GenresQueerNonfictionLGBT
302 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2019
10 people are currently reading
129 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 28, 2020
I have never learned as much from a book as I did from Raw. Considering that I love expanding my knowledge about almost any topic, that is a great thing!
‘Raw’ I understood but I had no idea what the subtitle of this book meant - I learned fast. PrEP, the acronym for pre-exposure prophylaxis, is an antiretroviral medicine used to prevent HIV infection. Pedagogy in general terms means educating and sharing information, often with social, critical, and cultural responsibilities. Barebacking is having intercourse without using a condom, a reference most used these days to describe two men engaging in anal sex. Now that we have the title cleared up, let’s jump in!
A massive amount of time and research went into the compilation of this book. Each of the 14 contributors, including the editor of the tome, has an impressive resume. As for what this book is about, the editor sums it up best in his introduction: “Each of the authors in this project provides a rigorous examination of the ideological, socio-political, ethical, and moral ramifications and repercussions connected to barebacking.”
This book touches on a variety of topics tangent to barebacking including Black sex, lesbian sex, AIDS, the impact of pornography, condoms, safer sex, and the desire for intimacy through sex. We delve into each of those topics deeply, often encountering terminology that was previously foreign to me. For example: jouissance, which is a phallic, orgasmic, and ejaculatory form of pleasure. And pro-am, lingo for the professional amateur porn that is found often found on free-to-use pornographic websites.
I feel enlightened about the modern-day realities of sex after reading Raw. For example, I had no idea that a circumcised male is much less likely to contract HIV than an uncircumcised man. Brian J. Morris, a professor of molecular medical sciences, explains: “Circumcision, when coupled with condom use, should virtually guarantee complete protection from infection by HIV.”
I appreciate that while this book conveys a massive amount of information, it never comes across as preachy. The contributors merely share data and observations, never try to sway anyone’s thoughts or opinions.
This is the third stand-alone book in the Exquisite Corpse book series, a series that challenges readers with questions about the human body that are often left unanswered. (The first book dealt with the anus, the second delved into the hymen.) As this book was so eye-opening and well-crafted, let’s hope the University of Regina Press adds more titles to their line-up.
For anyone interested learning more about the realities of barebacking and/or the sexual culture we are experiencing in these modern times, pick up a copy of Raw: PrEP, Pedagogy, and the Politics of Barebacking. I guarantee that you will be entertained as well as enlightened. Happy reading!
THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE AT YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE OR FROM WWW.SKBOOKS.COM
‘Raw’ I understood but I had no idea what the subtitle of this book meant - I learned fast. PrEP, the acronym for pre-exposure prophylaxis, is an antiretroviral medicine used to prevent HIV infection. Pedagogy in general terms means educating and sharing information, often with social, critical, and cultural responsibilities. Barebacking is having intercourse without using a condom, a reference most used these days to describe two men engaging in anal sex. Now that we have the title cleared up, let’s jump in!
A massive amount of time and research went into the compilation of this book. Each of the 14 contributors, including the editor of the tome, has an impressive resume. As for what this book is about, the editor sums it up best in his introduction: “Each of the authors in this project provides a rigorous examination of the ideological, socio-political, ethical, and moral ramifications and repercussions connected to barebacking.”
This book touches on a variety of topics tangent to barebacking including Black sex, lesbian sex, AIDS, the impact of pornography, condoms, safer sex, and the desire for intimacy through sex. We delve into each of those topics deeply, often encountering terminology that was previously foreign to me. For example: jouissance, which is a phallic, orgasmic, and ejaculatory form of pleasure. And pro-am, lingo for the professional amateur porn that is found often found on free-to-use pornographic websites.
I feel enlightened about the modern-day realities of sex after reading Raw. For example, I had no idea that a circumcised male is much less likely to contract HIV than an uncircumcised man. Brian J. Morris, a professor of molecular medical sciences, explains: “Circumcision, when coupled with condom use, should virtually guarantee complete protection from infection by HIV.”
I appreciate that while this book conveys a massive amount of information, it never comes across as preachy. The contributors merely share data and observations, never try to sway anyone’s thoughts or opinions.
This is the third stand-alone book in the Exquisite Corpse book series, a series that challenges readers with questions about the human body that are often left unanswered. (The first book dealt with the anus, the second delved into the hymen.) As this book was so eye-opening and well-crafted, let’s hope the University of Regina Press adds more titles to their line-up.
For anyone interested learning more about the realities of barebacking and/or the sexual culture we are experiencing in these modern times, pick up a copy of Raw: PrEP, Pedagogy, and the Politics of Barebacking. I guarantee that you will be entertained as well as enlightened. Happy reading!
THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE AT YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE OR FROM WWW.SKBOOKS.COM
October 25, 2020
PreP has sparked a real sexual revolution among gay men and I’d love to see an accessible and direct work reflecting and commenting on this huge sociological change. This gay bookstore impulse purchase masquerades as such, but it’s an academic ourobouros of everyone citing each other’s scholarly articles. Pass.
January 27, 2024
Had to put it down at one point because I found it painful to get through.
Glad I picked it back up solely for Chapter 8: “Bodies that Splutter.”
Fave chapters:
1, 2, 7, 8
Skip chapters:
4, 5, 9
Glad I picked it back up solely for Chapter 8: “Bodies that Splutter.”
Fave chapters:
1, 2, 7, 8
Skip chapters:
4, 5, 9
December 26, 2022
Another reviewer used the term “Academic oroborous” to describe this book and I can’t think of a descriptor more accurate and hilarious.
There were a few essays I really liked, but it was generally because I was already familiar and fond of the authors or works that were being discussed.
I found a lot of the essays completely aggravating and unreadable because the author would jump around to reference so many different academic works without discussing a) the actual content of the work and b) demonstrating how they all were woven together in articulating their point... most of the essays felt like dozens of loose strings tangled together.
There were a few essays I really liked, but it was generally because I was already familiar and fond of the authors or works that were being discussed.
I found a lot of the essays completely aggravating and unreadable because the author would jump around to reference so many different academic works without discussing a) the actual content of the work and b) demonstrating how they all were woven together in articulating their point... most of the essays felt like dozens of loose strings tangled together.
January 26, 2023
I dunno, I feel like this was really pretentiously written and I don't think these ideas have to be so inaccessible. It was a lot of theory and interpretation, which some of it was genuinely interesting. But a lot of it was over my head. Sooooo.....I'm gonna DNF this.
February 2, 2022
an interesting read - a few of the chapters were outstanding, most others were an absolute slog
November 4, 2025
Read bits and pieces for my thesis
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews