Trauma & Taboo: The Unspeakability of Sexual Violation

Continuing with our Season 2 Villain Arc, we examine the vilification of victims and the gridlock of taboos that surround sexual violation through a discussion of our very own Aurora Laybourn’s original work “Cavarero’s Repugnance: Naming Sexual Violence”. Building from a critique of Adriana Cavarero’s "Horrorism", Aurora argues that the repugnance of sexual violence has a silencing effect that renders it unintelligible and unspeakable by recontextualizing Medusa, the figure Cavarero uses to represent the horror she evoked on others, as a rape victim herself.. The figure of Medusa exposes how when faced with victims and their narratives we overt our eyes and choose not to see, preferring to villainize them instead. Looking straight on has a freezing effect, as to do so would force us to confront the horrifying extent to which we are implicated in perpetuating the negative effects of sexual violence.We apply this critique to a wide range of issues ranging from interpersonal harm, plagiarism, sex work and transness—asking ourselves what it means to engage with the messy intelligibility of violation regardless of the horror, and to see the human face behind the gorgon's mask. Get access to full bonus episodes, an exclusive RSS feed, and more by subscribing our Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Om Podcasten

After their time as philosophy undergrads gorging on cheap wine and bread, co-hosts cosima bee concordia and Aurora Laybourn reunite almost a decade later for Drunk Church, a podcast haunting the liminal spaces between anti-fascist theory and religious eroticism.Named for a gathering of queers where art, drink, and communion were shared outside of the confines of formal institutions, Drunk Church seeks to transgress, subvert, and blaspheme the religious for our own pleasure and thriving. In a world that feels like it’s ending and with fascism ascendant, how do we to build shared ritual, meaning, and narrative on our own terms? Come get drunk on the blood of God! Get access to full bonus episodes, an exclusive RSS feed, and more by subscribing our Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.