In recent years, sexuality has been reshaped by a new understanding of consent, by awareness of systemic violence, and by recognition of how our erotic imaginaries have been permeated by relations of domination. In a cultural and political landscape that denounces abusive sexuality and evokes a “sad flesh,” Aurore Vincenti explores alternative ways of feeling and approaching sexuality, moving beyond the binary of “power relations” versus the “eroticization of equality.” Her book traces new paths of desire in response to a thirst for change.
Engaging with sexuality means returning to the source of desire, where the body resonates sensitively and sensually with the world. In this book, Vincenti argues for an eroticization of these sensitive connections, for mutual listening not only in words but, above all, in the flesh. Drawing on her experience as a practitioner in somatic sexual education and re-education—working with people who lack desire or feel disconnected from their bodies following sexual violence—her reflection sits at the crossroads of phenomenology, queer feminist thought, and what she calls “Living” philosophy.
By weaving essential links between theory and practice, Vincenti explores paths traced by experiential philosophies that invite us to engage the body and sharpen the senses—in the manner of Baptiste Morizot tracking wolves, Anna L. Tsing encouraging us to smell mushrooms, or Paul B. Preciado inviting us to explore drag king practices.
With the conviction that experimentation with the body creates the conditions for new experiences and reflections, Vincenti invites readers to map their own paths and forge a sexuality of their own. This work outlines a vision of sexual education illuminated by sensitivity, an essential key to cultivating vitality and rethinking our way of being alive. In the face of production and performance, it positions sexuality as a form of vulnerable and tender resistance.
