On Tuesday, May 5, the Department of Social Science will host a guest lecture by philosopher and feminist theorist Clara Serra titled The Meaning of Consent.
In this talk, Serra will discuss sexual consent and how its meaning is shifting in contemporary culture. Approaching the topic from philosophical, historical and political perspectives, she will unpack the ambiguities inherent in the very idea of consent. Beneath the apparent simplicity of the consent lies the question of: what does it actually mean to consent?
Serra will explore the implications of the dominant doctrine of affirmative consent, arguing that it signals a broader desiderative shift – a re-signification of consent that moves away from its semantic proximity to will and closer to the notion of desire. This shift, she suggests, raises pressing questions about how desire is understood, articulated and regulated, and whether it can ever be expressed with complete clarity.
The York community is invited to attend. .Ìý
Date: Tuesday, May 5
Time: 12 - 1:30 p.m.
Location: Department of Social Science, Ross S701
About the guest speaker:
Serra is a philosopher and feminist theorist. She holds a PhD from the University of Barcelona, where she completed her dissertation on the concept of sexual consent in contemporary feminist theory. Her research engages with political philosophy, feminist theory and critical legal studies.
Serra is the author of several books, including The Meaning of Consent (Anagrama, 2024). She is currently a lecturer and researcher at BAU, Centre d’Estudis Universitaris d’Arts i Disseny of Barcelona and collaborates as an external researcher with the Complutense University of Madrid. Her work combines academic research with a strong engagement in public debate, and she contributes regularly to leading media outlets.
Alongside her academic work, Serra has been actively involved in institutional politics, having served as Secretary of Equality in the early years of Podemos and as a Member of the Madrid Parliament from 2015 to 2019.