Acing Science

Reveals the limits and exclusions of defining desire as universal

Compulsory sexuality—where sexual desire is seen as fundamental to human experience—not only pervades popular culture but is foundational to scientific research. Through a sharp intersectional lens, Kristina Gupta’s Acing Science interrogates a wide range of scientific studies, from clinical diagnoses of “sexual disinterest” and neuroimaging of desire to models of asexual reproduction, revealing how dominant science has pathologized the absence of sexual desire while tying sexual activity to health, social relationships, and citizenship. By exposing the assumptions undergirding these studies, Gupta shows how sexual desire has been framed as universal and socially necessary, while asexuality is often rendered invisible or suspect.

At the core of the book is a compelling critique: that scientific discourses of sexuality are not based on objective biological facts but are sustained by broader systems of power—sexism, racism, ableism, and settler colonialism. Yet Acing Science is not merely a critique but a radical invitation. By rereading hegemonic science, Gupta opens space for reimagining how desires, pleasures, and relationships might be understood beyond narrow sexual frames. The result is a powerful intervention, essential reading for scholars in feminist science studies, sexuality studies, and anyone interested in how knowledge systems shape the intimate contours of everyday life.

Kristina Gupta is associate professor of women's, gender, and sexuality studies at Wake Forest University. She is the author of Medical Entanglements: Rethinking Feminist Debates about Healthcare (Rutgers, 2019) and the coeditor of Queer Feminist Science Studies: A Reader (Washington, 2017).Herzig Rebecca :

Rebecca Herzig is professor of gender and sexuality studies at Bates College. She is the author of Suffering for Science: Reason and Sacrifice in Modern America (Rutgers University Press, 2006) and the coeditor of The Nature of Difference: Sciences of Race in the United States from Jefferson to Genomics (MIT Press, 2009).Subramaniam Banu :

Banu Subramaniam is professor of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is the author of two award-winning books: Holy Science: The Biopolitics of Hindu Nationalism (Washington, 2019) and Ghost Stories for Darwin: The Science of Variation and the Politics of Diversity (Illinois, 2014).

Kristina Gupta is associate professor of women’s, gender, and sexuality studies at Wake Forest University. She is author of Medical Entanglements: Rethinking Feminist Debates about Healthcare and coeditor of Queer Feminist Science Studies: A Reader.