Regimes of truth regarding 'sexual justice' in academic literature from 2012 to 2022: a scoping review

• Published in: Culture, health & sexuality pp. 1 - 16
• Main Authors: Pinto, Pedro, Macleod, Catriona Ida, Jones, Megaera
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 02-08-2024
• Subjects: decolonial praxis; sexual and gender diversity; Sexual (and reproductive) justice; neoliberal politics; human rights
• ISSN: 1369-1058; 1464-5351; 1464-5351
• DOI: 10.1080/13691058.2024.2386051

The notion of 'sexual justice' has gained traction in academic and policy arenas in recent years. This paper presents a scoping literature review of the regimes of truth, following Foucault, of 'sexual justice' appearing in the scientific literature from 2012 to 2022. Thirty-eight papers were coded using (1) content analysis of the studies' central problematics, the programmes referred to, and institutional location(s); and (2) thematic analysis of how the notion was deployed. Central problematics centred on (1) critiques of, or alternatives to, dominant approaches to sexual and reproductive health; and (2) highlighting injustices. As such, 'sexual justice' is fighting for legitimacy in the truth stakes. There is a distinct paucity of papers tackling the translation of 'sexual justice' into practice. South Africa dominates as the site in which papers on 'sexual justice' have been produced, but there is a lack of South-South collaboration. Two themes were apparent around which conceptions of sexual justice cohere. Firstly, sexual justice is seen as a vital, yet politically ambivalent
, with neoliberal co-optation of progressive rights agendas being warned against. Secondly, sexual justice is viewed as a
, in which sexual justice is described as having potential to repair established frameworks' shortcomings and oppressive legacies.