13180d

WiSe 16/17: The Transnational Politics of Sexual Labour in the 20th Century

Sonja Dolinsek

Comments

Mostly debated under the rubrics of "White Slavery", "traffic in women" and "prostitution", the politics and conceptualizations of what may be better framed as "sexual labour" have considerably shifted during the 20th century. Shifts occurred from "regulated prostitution" to "abolition" and towards various models of regulation - from legality to outright prohibition. The goal of this course is (1) to trace those changes and shifts from a transnational and global perspective, to (2) historicize the meanings and political implications of categories such as "White Slavery" and "prostitution" and explore the potential of "sexual labour" as analytical category, and (3) to understand the connections of the politics of sexual labour with the politics of labour, migration and human rights. International (governmental and non-governmental) organizations and their shifting approaches to various forms of free and unfree sexual labour, but also migration and sexuality, will offer a red thread to the course. International agreements and conventions, studies and reports as well as the lobbying of civil society organizations in a transnational sphere will receive particular attention, including through the use and study of original unpublished sources. National as well as local case studies will complement the readings by shifting the focus from "global" policy making to local practices of sexual labour and the implementation of globalized legal frameworks. When possible, the (mostly filtered) voices of sexual labourers themselves will be included. While this course focuses on sexual labour, it will be of (methodological) interest to students interested in pursuing different projects, particularly in the history of international organizations, but also the history of sexuality and human rights. close

16 Class schedule

Regular appointments

Tue, 12:00 - 14:00 16 Class schedule

Tue, 2016-10-18 12:00 - 14:00

Lecturers:
Sonja Dolinsek