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11th August 2022
12:08pm BST
As explained in the abstract, 'shota' is a type of manga or anime which typically revolves around prepubescent or pubescent male characters depicted in a “suggestive or erotic” manner - the young nature of those featured in the content being another aspect which has raised concern. Andersson goes on to detail in his introduction that as part of his practical research, he spent three-months masturbating to the genre and making extensive "field diaries" with detailed notes on each session, recounting sexual acts performed in specific comic book panels and even describing his often "ceremonial" set up while masturbating. He also claims he shunned other forms of pornography and sex, remarking in a fairly graphic passage hinting at the difference between Western and Japanese culture: "It was necessary to be diligent enough to abstain from the ‘milk and muesli’ of porn during this experiment, in order to see what happened to my body on a long diet of ‘fish and miso soup’." Having only recently moved to Manchester after having started the PhD in 2021, Andersson says that he lived alone during the experiment and had newly become single after a long term relationship, adding that "these factors probably contributed to my willingness and eagerness to explore this method.” As well as the outrage, he also revealed in a recent YouTube video that despite securing a small grant for his research, he ultimately failed his ethics review and must now spend the summer reworking his thesis. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RRa45xb4pA While the article itself is technically separate from the school and Andersson has clarified that UoM have rejected at least the first draft, a spokesperson did issue a statement to The Spectator following the controversy: "The recent publication in Qualitative Research of the work of a student, now registered for a PhD, has raised significant concerns and complaints which we are taking very seriously. "We are currently undertaking a detailed investigation into all aspects of their work, the processes around it and other questions raised. "It is very important that we look at the issues in-depth. While that investigation is ongoing, it would not be appropriate for us to comment further at this time."But how do you research a PHD in masturbation? Ahhh, there's the rub.
— King Nicholas I (@KingNicholasOne) August 11, 2022
