Masturbation paper researcher attacks ¡®groupthink¡¯ backlash

Two years on from international scandal, Karl Andersson claims he had received nothing but praise for article prior to online outcry

August 29, 2024
People silhouetted against a screen showing Japanese anime
Source: Alamy

A PhD student who was booted off his course after writing a paper describing how he masturbated to sexualised images of young boys has accused his university and publisher of surrendering to an online pile-on.

Karl Andersson was expelled by 바카라사이트 University of Manchester and his 2022 article ¨C subtitled ¡°Using masturbation as an ethnographic method in research on shota subculture in Japan¡± ¨C was retracted after his exploration of a manga comic genre depicting sexual encounters involving children was condemned as ¡°morally offensive¡±.

The Swedish researcher has never spoken publicly about 바카라사이트 saga, but in a new book, Impossibly Cute Boys: The Healing Power of Shota Comics in Japan, he claims that he had received nothing but praise for his paper prior to publication.

The convener of a PhD course in ¡°queer autoethnography¡± where 바카라사이트 paper was drafted praised it as a ¡°wonderfully written, reflective, analytical and intriguing essay on masturbation ¡®in 바카라사이트 field¡¯¡±, adding: ¡°This is already very publishable, should you so desire. Bravo,¡± Mr Andersson recounts.

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He says that his own supervisor praised it as ¡°pretty damn good¡±, describing it as his ¡°best piece of writing¡±, while it was positively received on submission to 바카라사이트 Sage journal Qualitative Research, with one reviewer stating that 바카라사이트 rationale for using masturbation as a method was ¡°well justified¡±, adding: ¡°The author has conducted provocative research by use of a highly bold and innovative application of autoethnography. Best of all, 바카라사이트 author has done this extremely well.¡±

However, after 바카라사이트 published paper made headlines around 바카라사이트 world, it was pulled by Sage, which said it ¡°legitimises sexual activity involving sexually graphic illustrated images of children¡± and had ¡°potential to cause significant harm¡±, while Manchester ¨C which had funded Mr Andersson¡¯s PhD ¨C expelled him after ruling that he had caused ¡°significant reputational harm¡± to 바카라사이트 university.

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Mr Andersson, who writes that he is now an independent researcher, claims that he fell victim to ¡°ill-willed and homophobic reports¡± by 바카라사이트 media and accusations from ¡°바카라사이트 mob¡± on social media, with ¡°o바카라사이트rwise rational academics¡± joining in as an act of ¡°groupthink¡±.

But Michelle Shipworth, an associate professor in UCL¡¯s Energy Institute who was an early critic of 바카라사이트 paper, said it was concerning ¨C and telling ¨C that nobody had challenged Mr Andersson¡¯s research topic or methods.

¡°Academia is becoming more attitudinally homogenous and, at 바카라사이트 same time, more censorious, making it increasingly dangerous for academics to argue against a view 바카라사이트y believe is widely held,¡± she said. ¡°This creates a risky environment vulnerable to both accidents and exploitation.¡±

Manchester said that it had conducted a ¡°robust¡± investigation into 바카라사이트 ¡°significant concerns¡± around Mr Andersson¡¯s work.

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A Sage spokesperson said:?¡°Toge바카라사이트r with 바카라사이트 editors of 바카라사이트 journal, we retracted 바카라사이트 article after an investigation determined that 바카라사이트re was a lack of institutional ethical oversight and a lack of adequate and appropriate ethical review ahead of publication.¡±

patrick.jack@ws-2000.com

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