Ekstasisas (Beyond?)Jouissance: Sex, Queerness, and Apophaticism in the Eastern Orthodox Tradition

What is it about?

Ekstasis (ecstasy) is central to Eastern Orthodox theology, an encounter that sets the self on the way towards knowledge of and union with God. Ekstasis is fundamentally apophatic—achieved through the eschewal of cognitive knowledge, and experiential—precipitated by practices that foster self-renunciation and transcendence. This paper examines how this notion of ecstasy, as narrated in the Orthodox theology of Staniloae and Lossky can aid, and be aided by, queer theoretical claims regarding sex.

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Why is it important?

Through examining Lacan’s notion of jouissance and Bersani’s utilization of it, as well as Williams’ analysis of sex as “the body’s grace,” this paper explores how sex, particularly orgasm, can function as a spiritual resource, as a site of and practice towards ecstasy. This paper concludes with a brief examination of the ethical implications of this frame.