The Sex and Work of Sex Work in a Quarter Century of Women’s Studies Quarterly

This investigation for Women’s Studies Quarterly’s fiftieth anniversary examines the treatment of sex work over the second half of that history. Using six articles either focused on or directly considering sex work or prostitution, I constellate a sense of how the symbolism and connotation of sex work has shifted and transformed through three decades of publications in a prominent women’s studies journal. These articles originate from economic, sociological, and activist perspectives and concentrate on everything from migrant ethnography to violence against women. Both the anti-prostitution and sex worker rights perspectives reveal their advocates’ political commitments and are put in dialogue and opposition in light of different aims gathered under the mantle of feminism and women’s studies. This critical review suggests the treatment of sex work as a political and economic litmus test for future prospects in women’s studies and inclusive and intersectional feminisms.