Reflections on researching pornography across Asia: voices from the region

Abstract

This article introduces the special issue on East Asian Pornographies and Online Porn Cultures. It considers the logistical and theoretical challenges faced by researchers within the region who wish to investigate Asian producers and consumers. It introduces trends and scholars working within the emerging field of Asian porn studies and explores what their experiences reveal about the study of pornography more broadly. The introduction argues for an approach grounded in ‘Asia as method' within the context of the increasing systematization of porn studies within the Western academy and the development of a Western-oriented ‘porn studies' theoretical canon.