Sex work studies have seen an expansion in publications over the past decade, drawing together disciplines from across the social sciences, namely sociology, criminology and social policy. There has, however, been a tendency for research and writing to focus on the more obvious aspect of the sex industry - the visible elements of female street prostitution and those features which attract media attention such as the criminalised aspects of the sex trade. The sex industry is diverse in terms of its organisation, presentation, participants and how it is located in the broader context of globalisation and regulation; there is a need for publications which demonstrate this breadth. This book makes an outstanding contribution to the sociology of sex work through advancing theoretical, policy, methodological and empirical ideas as each chapter pushes the boundaries of a specific area by offering new and critical research as well as commentary.
New Sociologies of Sex Work
Biography
Kate Hardy, Queen Mary University of London UK, Sarah Kingston. Leeds Metropolitan University, UK and Teela Sanders, University of Leeds, UK
'An important contribution to our understanding of sex work, exploring several previously unexamined aspects of the sex industry in various nations. The essays richly document the complex and multifaceted nature of sexual commerce.' Ronald Weitzer, George Washington University, USA 'Sex workers have much to teach those grappling to understand the new world of work and its implications for politics. New Sociologies of Sex Work should be essential reading across the social sciences and the social movements.' Jane Wills, Queen Mary University of London, UK 'New Sociologies of Sex Work is a rich collection of empirical and methodological contributions on various aspects of sex work. ... Taken together, the contributions of this book challenge a broad set of assumptions about sex work by relying on a strong empirical basis. They question assumptions about sex workers as victims, male clients as monsters, sex work as necessarily involving sexual intercourse, or the ’maleness’ of sex tourism. As such, they offer valuable, albeit potentially controversial, impulses for the field. ... This accessible and reflective collection is recommendable reading for work researchers, sex work researchers, feminist scholars and for those interested in methodological issues. It may be used for different purposes: as an introduction, indeed, to new sociologies of sex work; as an ethnographic insight into different life worlds of sex workers; and as a continuation of academic discourses and empirical evidence on sex work realities and the ways they are constructed and experienced.' Work, Employment and Society
