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Lara Karaian

Associate Professor, ICCJ Director

• Ph.D. (Gender and Sexuality Studies); MA (Gender and Sexuality Studies), York University; BA Honours (Criminology/Sociology), University of Toronto
• Email Lara Karaian

Areas of Interest

• Critical & Cultural Criminology
• Artificial Intelligence, Deepfakes, Virtual Reality, Sex Robots
• Virtual Sex and Intimacy, Sex Tech and Sex Crime
• Porn, Media & Cultural Studies
• Criminal, Civil & Constitutional Law
• Censorship & Freedom of Expression
• Queer, Feminist, & Critical Race/Whiteness Theory
• Affect, Emotion & the Senses

My research examines the intersections between sexuality, technology, representation, and law.

I am cross-appointed to the Department of Law and Legal Studies and the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. I am also a member of the Sexuality Studies Committee at �Ӱ�ԭ��.

Read Lara’s blog posts here: 

Current Research

My current SSHRC funded research—“Sex/Crime in the Era of Immersive, Interactive, and Intelligent Technologies: A Study of Sextech, Affect, and Law” (Insight Grant, 2020-2025)— examines how emerging technologies—such as AI, VR, and robotics—affect our understanding of sex and ‘sex crime’. I ground my analyses in an examination of legal and cultural analysis of sex robots, deepfake pornography, and “sex” in virtual reality contexts. This qualitative research is informed by cultural and critical criminology theory, legal theory, sexuality studies, science and technology studies, posthumanism, and affect theory.

This research builds on my previous SSHRC funded study: “Selfies, Sexuality, and Teens: A Canadian Study” (SSHRC, Insight Development Grant, 2012-2015). In it, I examined how courts, child protection agencies, and crime prevention efforts construct and govern consensual teenage digital sexual expression.

Previous research (funded by the Canadian Bar Association’s Foundation for Legal Research) examined judicial interpretations of the ‘private use exemption’ to Canada’s child pornography laws.

Consultation

I have served as an expert consultant/witness on national and international law reform committees, including the Law Reform Committee of the Parliament of Victoria, Australia for their ‘International Consultation on Sexting Inquiry’ (Parliamentary Paper No. 230, Session 2010–2013); the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs; and, the House of Commons’ Standing Committee on the Status of Women. I’ve also provided expert testimony for two constitutional questions and one sentencing decision.

In an effort to ensure that my research findings are understood by front-line actors, I have worked with Kids Help Phone (during the development of their sexting content) and have presented my research to the Ottawa Police.

Supervision

I am accepting Honours Theses supervision requests from criminology students. I am not taking on new MA or PhD supervisions at this time

Selected Publications (Refereed)

(To read early versions of these publications visit my Academia.edu cite: Final published versions are accessible through �Ӱ�ԭ��’s )