Sexing the Archive

Abstract Despite being a widely consumed genre of visual culture, pornography remains touchy subject in contemporary queer historiography. Queer archives overflow with it, but histories don’t. Historically associated low culture and distrusted by value systems that have tended to privilege the “high” faculties reason detriment “base” materiality body, its affects appetites, porn is too rarely approached as legitimate source which think cultural, affective, intellectual, sexual histories. This article draws from studies historiographies draw some methodological considerations about value, benefits, challenges posed writing subcultural Rather than trying solve porn’s double ontological status both documentary fantasy, authors locate defining feature historical source. Simultaneously document sex cultures edges morality, historically culturally situated speculation on what bodies may become, offers cultural critics historians rich archive for deepening their knowledge intersections pleasure, community, embodiment, politics belonging.