BDSM (Bondage & Discipline, Dominance & Submission, Sadism & Masochism) encompasses consensual practices of power exchange, control, pain, and pleasure. Its roots reach back to antiquity (Kama Sutra, ancient rituals, Greco-Roman art). Literary milestones include the Marquis de Sade and Leopold von Sacher-Masoch in the 18th–19th centuries, followed by medical pathologization (Krafft-Ebing, 1886).
