Criminology Reading Group - Sex, Drugs and (In)Capacity - Alexandra Aldridge
Location:
Virtual Event
Date/time
Wed 16 December 2020
12:00-13:00
The University of Edinburgh Criminology Reading Group Seminar Series 2020/2021 presents
"Sex, Drugs and (In)Capacity"
Alexandra Aldridge, Department of Law and Criminology, Royal Holloway, University of London
Alex Aldridge is doing a PhD in Criminology and Sociology at Royal Holloway, University of London. She researches sex, drugs and sexual ethics.
Sex on drugs raises complex issues around sexual consent, particularly in relation to socio-legal interpretations of capacity. Intoxication is generally understood to impair a person’s capacity to consent to sex, either cognitively or physically. An intoxicated person might at some point become incapacitated, though what exact form incapacity takes, and how to judge whether a person is incapacitated is often unclear.
In this talk, Alex will explore the important issue of consent through the lens of research. She offers a (tentative!) re-imagination of (in)capacity for the purposes of sex involving drugs. Following the lead of critical drug scholars, she draws on qualitative data (comprising research participant diaries and in-depth interviews) to explore how drug-related sexual encounters give rise to a range of affective capacities that cannot be classed solely as 'impairing'. She will then conclude with a reflection on the implications of her analysis for thinking about sex on drugs in ethical terms. This will be followed by a discussion and Q&A with the audience!
The event is free for all and will take place on Zoom, please register to get the link!
Any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch!
We look forward to seeing you at our final event before Christmas!
Image Credit: Photo by Leodgario Pescador on Unsplash