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.

Contents: Introduction: new sociologies of sex work in perspective, Sarah Kingston and Teela Sanders; Part I Prostitution Policy: Then and Now: Flappers, amateurs and professionals: the spectrum of promiscuity in 1920s Britain, Samantha Caslin; Intent to criminalize: men who buy sex and prostitution policy in the UK, Sarah Kingston; Out of the shadows (and into a bit of light): decriminalization, human rights and street-based sex work on New Zealand, Lynzi Armstrong. Part II Methodology: Doing Sex Work Research: Tackling taboos: men who pay for sex and the emotional researcher, Natalie Hammond; Walking the beat: doing outreach with male sex workers, Mary Whowell; New technologies, new territories: using the internet to connect with sex workers and sex industry organizers, Suzanne Jenkins. Part III Mobility, Sex Work and Consumption: Situating the female gaze: Understanding (sex) tourism practices in Thailand, Erin Sanders; The place of the gringo gulch: space, gender and nation in sex tourism, Megan Rivers-Moore; Taxi dancers: tango labour and commecialized intimacy in Buenos Aires, Maria Törnqvist and Kate Hardy; Temporal dimensions of cabaret dancers' circular migration to Switzerland, Romaric Thiévent. Part IV Sex Work: Organizing, Resistance and Culture: ' If you shut up, they kill you': sex worker resistance in Argentina, Kate Hardy; 'Just get pissed and enjoy yourself': understanding lap-dancing as 'anti- work', Rachela Colosi; The diverse vulnerabilities of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans sex workers in the UK, Kath Browne, Mark Cull and Phil Hubbard; Repackaging sex: class, crass, and the good vibrations model of sexual retail, Lynn Comella; Index.

About the Editor: Kate Hardy, Queen Mary University of London UK, Sarah Kingston. Leeds Metropolitan University, UK and Teela Sanders, University of Leeds, UK

Reviews: '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

Dr Kate Hardy has a profile page on the University of Leeds website and a blog

Visit Sarah Kingston's profile page on Leeds Metropolitan University website

Teela Sanders has a homepage on the University of Leeds website.

Extracts from this title are available to view:

Full contents list

Introduction

Index