ABSTRACT
This introductory chapter describes the political, legal and scholarly background of the issue of sexual consent and discusses feminist perspectives on sex, sexual violence and the grey area in-between. The standard definition of consent as voluntary agreement is endorsed but also problematized through a theoretical framework foregrounding the relational constitution of the human subject. This conceptual frame forms the backdrop of the book's focus on experiences, gathered through interviews with 20 Swedish women and men of various sexual orientations, which raise questions about the conditions for what would legally count as consent. The risks as well as needs of exploring the grey area between sex and sexual violence are addressed. Specific attention is also given to consent in the same-sex setting, consent and BDSM, and feminist debates on sex and violence.
