Paper short abstract:

In this paper I analyse sex and sexuality as key modalities through which young Fiji citizens experience modernity through their bodies.

Paper long abstract:

The young Fiji citizens I conduct research with frequently highlight their own bodies as the main site for constructing and experiencing modernity. They sculpt their bodies to look modern through dieting or exercise, adorn their bodies with modern hair styles, Western-style clothing and tattoos, or engage in a variety of bodily practices that are valorized as progressive and popular. In this paper I conceptualize sex and sexuality as key modalities through which such cultural valuations become embodied and sensuously real. Drawing upon extensive ethnographic research in urban, multi-ethnic Fiji I discuss how young people experience sex in context of rapid social change and how they use 'sexy' and 'sexiness' as reference points for judging their own and others' appearance, the nature of a desirable, or modern, body, and how these bodies are positioned and utilized experientially. A key argument is that the present moment is one that provides increased sexual license and freedom while also giving rise to new insecurities. In my analysis I pay particular attention to how young people perceive and negotiate notions such as sexual agency, consent and power. As I conclude my paper I reflect on what ethnographic studies of sexual practice and the discourses that surround them can contribute to broader conceptual debates about gender, sexuality and subjectivity in contemporary society.