The issue of sexual consent has stimulated much debate over recent years, both in terms of exactly what it is and why it is important. This illuminating volume examines the subject within a range of contexts and from various conceptual standpoints. It will excite considerable discussion and take the debate to new levels.

Contents: Introduction, Mark Cowling and Paul Reynolds. Part I: (More) General and Theoretical Themes: Rape, communicative sexuality and sex education, Mark Cowling; Feminist approaches to sexual consent: a critical assessment, Allison Moore and Paul Reynolds; Sexual ethics and the erotics of consent, Moira Carmody; The language of refusal: sexual consent and the limits of post-structuralism, Gideon Calder; The age of consent and sexual consent, Matthew Waites; The quality of consent: sexual consent, culture, communication, knowledge and ethics, Paul Reynolds. Part II: (More) Specific and Practical Themes: 'Risky' women, sexual consent and criminal 'Justice', Margaret S. Malloch; Prostitution and consent: beyond the liberal dichotomy of 'Free or Forced', Barbara Sullivan; The construction of sexual consent in male rape and sexual assault, Philip N. S. Rumney and Martin Morgan-Taylor; Beyond (hetero)sexual consent, Karen Corteen; 'Sexual Rights' and 'Sexual Responsibilities' within consensual 'S/M', Andrea Beckmann; Understanding sexual consent: an empirical investigation of the normative script for young heterosexual adults, Terry P. Humphreys; People with learning disabilities: sex, the law and consent, Michelle McCarthy and David Thompson; Sex is violence: a critique of Susan Sontag's 'Fascinating Fascism', David Renton; 'In the Field and In There': some ethical dilemmas in researching sexualities, John Gibbins; Index.