Between lecture theatre and hardcore: why Emre Busse is calling for pornography to be established as a subject of study.
Pornography is more than just a wank template. It is political, culturally charged – and absolutely worthy of academic study.
Imagine you walk into a seminar room and the PowerPoint slide shows a hardcore clip. Not as a gag, not as a provocation, but as a starting point for an in-depth analysis of gender roles, power relations and representation. Welcome to the lecture by Emre Busse – the man who many now only call ‘Dr Porno’.
What sounds like a scandal to some is a serious academic approach for Busse. Pornography – this huge, billion-dollar, culturally powerful phenomenon – should get out of the dirty corner and into the universities. Because as Busse says: ‘What billions of people consume cannot be meaningless.’
From gay longing to academic rebellion
Born in Istanbul, queer, searching – Emre Busse found empowerment, not shame, in pornography. Gay, German-Turkish porn in particular gave him a sense of belonging. For him, it was not a dirty secret, but a source of identity. This personal experience ultimately led him to a scientific study of pornography – as a cultural asset, as a political tool, as an expression of lust and power.
Today, he lives in Berlin, teaches in Bremen and stirs up the university scene with provocative courses such as ‘Post-Pornography’. His lectures are packed, his style direct, queer-feminist and openly sex-positive. His message: analysing porn means understanding society.
Lust and science – no contradiction
Busse argues that pornography should be analysed like film, literature or music – with a view to aesthetics, narration, symbolism and social effects. His events are not about voyeuristic gawking, but about breaking down stereotypes, feminist criticism and queer utopias.
The lecture series ‘Critical Porn Studies’ organised by him at the University of Bremen was a complete success – and an affront to the academic mainstream. In addition to theoretical input, there were performances, artistic contributions and discussions about production conditions and ethical consumption. A space in which porn was not stigmatised, but deconstructed.
Between hate, hype and hope
Of course, ‘Dr Porno’ also provokes criticism – from the tabloid media, conservative voices and parts of the university bureaucracy. But Busse counters this with humour and clarity. His aim is not provocation for provocation’s sake. It is visibility, enlightenment, dialogue. And that takes courage – especially in a society that constantly talks about sex but hardly reflects on it.
He is part of a new generation of academics who are no longer afraid to bring their subjectivity, their lust and their history into the discourse. And in doing so, he is doing exactly what good science should do: Question the status quo.
Conclusion
Emre Busse puts porn on the agenda – where it is often most lacking: in critical, academic reflection. His nickname ‘Dr Porno’ may make you smile, but there is a serious project behind it. It’s about more than naked skin. It’s about visibility, diversity, criticism of power – and about no longer excluding lust when we talk about society.
