Celibacy is commonly associated with cloistered religious groups, or more recently with extremist incels. Yet in a world where ‘Yes’ to desire has dominated narratives of sexual liberation, Lisabeth During invites us to reconsider the radical potential of ‘No’ and examine how celibacy challenges norms and offers unique avenues for political dissent. “We must not think that by saying yes to sex, one says no to power…It is the agency of sex that we must break away from.” – Michel FoucaultWas the sexual revolution worth the trouble? It is easy enough to make a case in its defense. Pleasure is rare enough: we should welcome any effort to improve the conditions for its enjoyment. Before the call for liberation, sex was a magnet for taboo, for contradictory and confusing messages. Ignorance was dangerous to physical as to mental health. Drawing a veil over the world of the bedroom hindered the work of doctors, educators, and those…
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