Pleasure Erased

The clitoris was absent in anatomy books, in paintings and sculptures, absent in spirit and even body; it has long been the organ of erased pleasure. We assume that this oversight has been repaired in our times: today, the clitoris is not forgotten but honoured.

Conferences, books, manifestos, and works of art are all devoted to it. The autonomy of clitoral jouissance is recognised. The boundaries of feminism have also moved: queer, intersex, and trans approaches claim that the clitoris is perhaps no longer the exclusive preserve of the woman. And yet, there remains a wounded space.

Because genital mutilation is still common practice. Because millions of women are still denied pleasure. The clitoris continues to mark the enigmatic space of the feminine. Constrained by the extreme difficulty and the extreme urgency of returning to this scorched earth, it is time to give voice to an organ of pleasure which has still not become an organ of thought.

Pleasure Erased by Catherine Malabou explores these themes, inviting readers to engage with the ongoing journey towards the recognition and liberation of clitoral pleasure.