While sexually-explicit images have been produced as long as humans could make pictures, the category of pornography is a much more modern invention. It was introduced in the 1800s as a way to classify images deemed obscene and thought to corrupt morals.
In this talk Dr João Florêncio will take us on a freefall journey through that history. Discover how sex, morality, and visual culture intersect to tell a story about our societal fears, anxieties, and sense of propriety.
Speaker

João Florêncio
Senior Lecturer
History of Modern and Contemporary Art and Visual culture
University of Exeter
Dr João Florêncio researches queer visual histories of the body, sexuality, and sexual subcultures. He is the author of Bareback Porn, Porous Masculinities, Queer Futures: The Ethics of Becoming-Pig (Routledge, 2020).