Can sexuality be protected from capitalism’s adulterating influence at all costs? How can “international political economics” and “queer theory” illuminate how we address enduring challenges in our everyday working lives?

Dr Nicola Smith is the author of the 2020 book, Capitalism’s Sexual History. In her talk to the LSBU community during Pride Month 2021, Nicola invites us to consider the relationship between capitalism and sexuality, and why are they so often assumed to be opposites? Bringing together insights from both international political economy and queer theory, Nicola develops a lens for a queer political economy and invites us to understand how the history of capitalism and the history of sexuality are entangled. This talk explores some of the enduring themes, tensions, and contradictions at the intersections of sex, work, and economic and sexual (in)justice.