Publisher's Synopsis
"Across the globe, the "world's oldest profession" continues to ignite controversy and intrigue. Prostitution is a $186 billion dollar global industry that is characterized, practiced, and governed in highly disparate ways depending on the cultural and ideological context in which it is practiced. The scholars contributing to this volume span multiple countries and take up vastly different perspectives about sex work. The cultural framings of prostitution in the Basque country are quite different from how prostitution is framed in Nevada-the only state in the United States where prostitution is not illegal in a few areas. In some ways, prostitution is similar in both contexts: there are advocates for sex work as work in both locations, and there are anti-prostitution advocates in both contexts as well. Further, sex workers around the world face a higher risk of violence, stigma, and moral judgments about their character that can impede