Testo Junkie

Last updated
Testo Junkie
Testo Junkie Sex, Drugs, and Biopolitics in the Pharmacopornographic Era 2013 Edition Paul B. Preciado Book Cover.png
Author Paul B. Preciado
Translator Bruce Benderson
LanguageSpanish
Published2008
PublisherEspasa (2008)
The Feminist Press (2013)
Pages324
ISBN 9788467026931
OCLC 212739443

Testo Junkie (published in English with the subtitle Sex, Drugs, and Biopolitics in The Pharmacopornographic Era) is a book of autotheory, [1] by contemporary writer and philosopher Paul B. Preciado, first published in Spanish in 2008 (Testo yonqui / Espasa Calpe), then in English in 2013 by The Feminist Press, translated by Bruce Benderson. [2] It chronicles Preciado's multifaceted and liminal experience taking a topical testosterone called Testogel as a political and performative act, while working in Paris, France, as well as intertwining perspectives on pharmaceuticals and pornography. [3] The book was the choice of McKenzie Wark in a list of the 11 best scholarly books of the 2010s by The Chronicle of Higher Education. [4]

Contents

Outline and concept

Preciado declares that Testo Junkie is a "body-essay", and writes of his use of testosterone as a way of undoing gender inscribed on the body by the capitalistic commodification and mobilization of sexuality and reproduction, a process transcendent from the social norm expected with transitioning. [5] Testo Junkie is a homage to French writer Guillaume Dustan, a close gay friend of Preciado's who contracted AIDS and died of an accidental overdose of a medication he was taking. In the book Preciado also processes the changes in his body due to testosterone through the lens of a romantic affair with his then lover, French writer Virginie Despentes, referred to as "VD." [6]

Sex and sexuality is a major theme in the book, as it is framed to pick up where Michel Foucault's The History of Sexuality, and the writings of Judith Butler leave off. Testo Junkie is a political history of reproductive technologies including oral contraceptive pills, Viagra, drugs used in doping, fluoxetine, and the history of clinical testosterone and estrogen usage, that connect to Preciado's own use of pharmaceuticals, among other things. [7] It discusses potentia gaudendi , the idea that the body has an inherent potential for pleasure. [8]

Pharmacopornographic capitalism

Preciado coins the term pharmacopornographic era in the book, a term based on his idea that the pharmaceutical industry, pornography industry, and late capitalism are integrated in their responsibility to the cycles of reproductive and social control through the regulation of bodies: it is framed into the micro-biological scale of design, and its place within a global political, social and economic context and strategies. [9]

Related Research Articles

Erectile dysfunction (ED), also referred to as impotence, is a form of sexual dysfunction in males characterized by the persistent or recurring inability to achieve or maintain a penile erection with sufficient rigidity and duration for satisfactory sexual activity. It is the most common sexual problem in males and can cause psychological distress due to its impact on self-image and sexual relationships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sexual revolution</span> 20th-century Western social movement

The sexual revolution, also known as the sexual liberation, was a social movement that challenged traditional codes of behavior related to sexuality and interpersonal relationships throughout the developed Western world from the 1960s to the 1970s. Sexual liberation included increased acceptance of sex outside of traditional heterosexual, monogamous relationships. The normalization of contraception and the pill, public nudity, pornography, premarital sex, homosexuality, masturbation, alternative forms of sexuality, and the legalization of abortion all followed.

The sex-positive movement is a social and philosophical movement that seeks to change cultural attitudes and norms around sexuality, promoting the recognition of sexuality as a natural and healthy part of the human experience and emphasizing the importance of personal sovereignty, safer sex practices, and consensual sex. It covers every aspect of sexual identity including gender expression, orientation, relationship to the body, relationship-style choice, and reproductive rights. Sex-positivity is "an attitude towards human sexuality that regards all consensual sexual activities as fundamentally healthy and pleasurable, encouraging sexual pleasure and experimentation." It challenges societal taboos and aims to promote healthy and consensual sexual activities. The sex-positive movement also advocates for comprehensive sex education and safe sex as part of its campaign. The movement generally makes no moral distinctions among types of sexual activities, regarding these choices as matters of personal preference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cum shot</span> Depiction of human ejaculation

A cum shot is the depiction of human ejaculation, especially onto another person. The term is usually applied to depictions occurring in pornographic films, photographs, and magazines. Unlike ejaculation in non-pornographic sex, cum shots typically involve ejaculation outside the receiver's body, allowing the viewer to see the ejaculation in progress. Facial cum shots are regularly portrayed in pornographic films and videos, often as a way to close a scene. Cum shots may also depict ejaculation onto another performer's body, such as on the genitals, buttocks, chest or tongue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Facial (sexual act)</span> Sexual activity involving ejaculating on the face of another

A facial is a sexual activity in which a man ejaculates semen onto the face of one or more sexual partners. A facial is a form of non-penetrative sex, though it is generally performed after some other means of sexual stimulation, such as vaginal sex, anal sex, oral sex, manual sex or masturbation. Facials are regularly portrayed in pornographic films and videos, often as a way to close a scene.

Sex-positive feminism, also known as pro-sex feminism, sex-radical feminism, or sexually liberal feminism, is a feminist movement centering on the idea that sexual freedom is an essential component of women's freedom. They oppose legal or social efforts to control sexual activities between consenting adults, whether they are initiated by the government, other feminists, opponents of feminism, or any other institution. They embrace sexual minority groups, endorsing the value of coalition-building with marginalized groups. Sex-positive feminism is connected with the sex-positive movement. Sex-positive feminism brings together anti-censorship activists, LGBT activists, feminist scholars, producers of pornography and erotica, among others. Sex-positive feminists believe that prostitution can be a positive experience if workers are treated with respect, and agree that sex work should not be criminalized.

Patrick Califia, formerly also known as Pat Califia and by the last name Califia-Rice, is an American writer of non-fiction essays about sexuality and of erotic fiction and poetry. Califia is a bisexual trans man. Prior to transitioning, Califia identified as a lesbian and wrote for many years a sex advice column for the gay men's leather magazine Drummer. His writings explore sexuality and gender identity, and have included lesbian erotica and works about BDSM subculture. Califia is a member of the third-wave feminism movement.

Antisexualism is opposition or hostility towards sexual behavior and sexuality.

India has developed its discourse on sexuality differently based on its distinct regions with their own unique cultures. According to R.P. Bhatia, a New Delhi psychoanalyst and psychotherapist, middle-class India's "very strong repressive attitude" has made it impossible for many married couples to function well sexually, or even to function at all.

The testosterone patch, brand name Intrinsa among others, was designed to treat female sexual dysfunction.

The feminist sex wars, also known as the lesbian sex wars, sex wars or porn wars, are collective debates amongst feminists regarding a number of issues broadly relating to sexuality and sexual activity. Differences of opinion on matters of sexuality deeply polarized the feminist movement, particularly leading feminist thinkers, in the late 1970s and early 1980s and continue to influence debate amongst feminists to this day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pornography</span> Portrayal of sexual subject matter

Pornography has been defined as sexual subject material "such as a picture, video, or text" that is intended for sexual arousal. Made for the consumption by adults, pornography depictions have evolved from cave paintings, some forty millennia ago, to virtual reality presentations. A general distinction of adult content is made classifying it as pornography or erotica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McKenzie Wark</span> Australian-born writer and scholar (born 1961)

McKenzie Wark is an Australian-born writer and scholar. Wark is known for her writings on media theory, critical theory, new media, and the Situationist International. Her best known works are A Hacker Manifesto and Gamer Theory. She is a professor of Media and Cultural Studies at The New School.

Feminist sexology is an offshoot of traditional studies of sexology that focuses on the intersectionality of sex and gender in relation to the sexual lives of women. Sexology has a basis in psychoanalysis, specifically Freudian theory, which played a big role in early sexology. This reactionary field of feminist sexology seeks to be inclusive of experiences of sexuality and break down the problematic ideas that have been expressed by sexology in the past. Feminist sexology shares many principles with the overarching field of sexology; in particular, it does not try to prescribe a certain path or "normality" for women's sexuality, but only observe and note the different and varied ways in which women express their sexuality. It is a young field, but one that is growing rapidly.

Human sexuality covers a broad range of topics, including the physiological, psychological, social, cultural, political, philosophical, ethical, moral, theological, legal and spiritual or religious aspects of sex and human sexual behavior.

Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied with historical contexts over time, it lacks a precise definition. The biological and physical aspects of sexuality largely concern the human reproductive functions, including the human sexual response cycle.


Nadia Granados(Nadia M. Granados Delgado) is a Colombian performance artist who uses her body concept in combination with multi-media technologies to explore relationships between the representation of state violence in mainstream media, institutionalized machismo, heterosexual pornography and violence against women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul B. Preciado</span> Spanish writer, philosopher and curator (born 1970)

Paul B. Preciado, 11 September 1970), is a Spanish writer, philosopher and curator whose work focuses on applied and theoretical topics relating to identity, gender, pornography, architecture and sexuality. Originally known as a female writer, in 2010 Preciado began a process of "slow transition" where he started taking testosterone to medically transition. From this point on he has publicly considered himself transgender as well as a feminist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Testosterone (medication)</span> Medication and naturally occurring steroid hormone

Testosterone (T) is a medication and naturally occurring steroid hormone. It is used to treat male hypogonadism, gender dysphoria, and certain types of breast cancer. It may also be used to increase athletic ability in the form of doping. It is unclear if the use of testosterone for low levels due to aging is beneficial or harmful. Testosterone can be used as a gel or patch that is applied to the skin, injection into a muscle, tablet that is placed in the cheek, or tablet that is taken by mouth.

In sexuality studies, potentia gaudendi or orgasmic force is the physical and mental potential for pleasure in a body. The term was coined by philosopher Paul B. Preciado, who says contemporary economies exploit the body by offering services to increase pleasure—such as Viagra and cocaine—which turn it into a commodity. It is similar to jouissance in Lacanian psychoanalysis and libido in Sigmund Freud's works.

References

  1. Hansen, Sarah (2016). "Testo Junkie: Sex, Drugs, and Biopolitics in the Pharmacopornographic Era by Paul B. Preciado". State University of New York Press. Archived from the original on 2019-04-23. Retrieved 2019-04-23.
  2. Delatte, Marta (August 5, 2014). "Meet the 'Testo Junkie' Who Hacks Her Gender with Testosterone". Vice Magazine. Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
  3. Bianco, Marcie (September 25, 2013). "'Testo Junkie: Sex, Drugs, and Biopolitics in the Pharmacopornographic Era' by Beatriz Preciado". Lambda Literary. Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  4. "The Best Scholarly Books of the Decade". The Chronicle of Higher Education. 2020-04-14. Archived from the original on 2020-11-30. Retrieved 2020-12-26.
  5. Tucker, Ricky (December 4, 2013). "At Work: Pharmacopornography: An Interview with Beatriz Preciado". The Paris Review. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  6. Fateman, Johanna. "Bodies of Work: Two books of autofiction examine the sexual politics of the postporn era". Bookfroum. Bookforum. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  7. Wark, McKenzie (December 7, 2013). "Testo Junkie, by Béatriz Préciado". No. 1. Public Seminar. Archived from the original on June 25, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  8. Pettman, André (2021). "Get hard or die trying: Impotence and the displacement of the white male in Michel Houellebecq's Sérotonine". French Forum. 46 (3): 37–51. doi:10.1353/frf.2021.0002. S2CID   243419283.
  9. "# PHILOSOPHY /// Modes of Subversions against the Pharmacopornographic Society: Testo Junkie by Beatriz Preciado - THE FUNAMBULIST MAGAZINE". THE FUNAMBULIST MAGAZINE. 2013-05-14. Archived from the original on 2018-07-22. Retrieved 2018-07-22.