Histories of Consent: Consent Culture and Community in Feminism and BDSM

This thesis examines three phenomena: the rise of the BDSM community, the discourse around consent between BDSM practitioners and feminists, and how those discourses have changed over time. I outline a history of the BDSM community, examine how consent has been talked about and implemented over time in both BDSM and feminist communities, and how the publication of the erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey changed the way both feminists and BDSM practitioners talk about consent