Disrupting Hedogemony: What Pornography Can Do for Curriculum Studies
Abstract
Pornography and curriculum studies may seem like an unlikely pairing. Yet in the current political climate, where inclusive educational practices are increasingly dismissed as indoctrination (Butler, 2024), this connection feels all the more urgent. While there are compelling arguments for integrating pornography-informed sex education into school curricula, most educational programs address pornography only in terms of addiction and harm (Nelson et al., 2024). Beyond concerns about sexual violence and unrealistic portrayals of sex, pornography has become so deeply embedded in youth culture that sexual fetishization now shapes interpersonal relationships in troubling ways. bell hooks’ Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom introduces the idea of pleasure rooted in oppressive power structures, where desire, intimacy, and eroticism are shaped by systems of domination — including patriarchy, white supremacy, capitalism, and heteronormativity — rather than by mutuality and consent. This paper builds on hooks’ insight to propose the concept of Hedogemony: the pursuit of pleasure entangled with oppressive power structures. Through a conceptual analysis informed by hooks, Califa, Butler, Lorde, and others, the author explores how Hedogemony manifests in popular culture, particularly through themes of gender, patriarchy, racialized desire, queerness, assimilation, and internalized oppression. This analysis considers the curricular implications of disrupting Hedogemony in favor of reimagining desire, power, and pedagogy. By doing so, the author argues for educational practices that challenge harmful patterns of erotic power and open space for more ethical and emancipatory relationships.
Presentation Description
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Location
Disruptive/Disrupting Technology – Student Union Lunch Session
Publication Type and Release Option
Presentation (Open Access)
Recommended Citation
Thomas-Reid, Matthew, "Disrupting Hedogemony: What Pornography Can Do for Curriculum Studies" (2025). Curriculum Studies Summer Collaborative. 12.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/cssc/2025/2025/12
Disrupting Hedogemony: What Pornography Can Do for Curriculum Studies
Disruptive/Disrupting Technology – Student Union Lunch Session
Pornography and curriculum studies may seem like an unlikely pairing. Yet in the current political climate, where inclusive educational practices are increasingly dismissed as indoctrination (Butler, 2024), this connection feels all the more urgent. While there are compelling arguments for integrating pornography-informed sex education into school curricula, most educational programs address pornography only in terms of addiction and harm (Nelson et al., 2024). Beyond concerns about sexual violence and unrealistic portrayals of sex, pornography has become so deeply embedded in youth culture that sexual fetishization now shapes interpersonal relationships in troubling ways. bell hooks’ Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom introduces the idea of pleasure rooted in oppressive power structures, where desire, intimacy, and eroticism are shaped by systems of domination — including patriarchy, white supremacy, capitalism, and heteronormativity — rather than by mutuality and consent. This paper builds on hooks’ insight to propose the concept of Hedogemony: the pursuit of pleasure entangled with oppressive power structures. Through a conceptual analysis informed by hooks, Califa, Butler, Lorde, and others, the author explores how Hedogemony manifests in popular culture, particularly through themes of gender, patriarchy, racialized desire, queerness, assimilation, and internalized oppression. This analysis considers the curricular implications of disrupting Hedogemony in favor of reimagining desire, power, and pedagogy. By doing so, the author argues for educational practices that challenge harmful patterns of erotic power and open space for more ethical and emancipatory relationships.
