eBook

Common prostitutes and ordinary citizens : commercial sex in London, 1885-1960

Laite, Julia

2012,2011

Overview

01 02 On the brightly-lit street corners of Piccadilly and in the dark alleyways of Stepney, in public parks and private flats, in nightclubs and cafes, prostitution was intertwined with London's society, culture, and landscape. As public and political attitudes toward commercial sex hardened, uneven and imperfect attempts to repress prostitution dramatically shaped London's commercial sex industry. Common Prostitutes and Ordinary Citizens examines how laws, policies and attitudes toward prostitution were translated into street-level reality, explores how women who sold sex navigated a climate of repression, and charts the complex dimensions of the underground sexual economy in the metropolis. Laite puts forward the controversial argument that laws directed against prostitution tended to do more harm than good; they encouraged the growth of vice syndicates, promoted illicit real estate and came down the hardest upon the women who worked as prostitutes. By examining the administration of the law and its consequences and by uncovering the lives and experiences of prostitutes, this book offers a compelling new look at the history of commercial sex in modern London. 02 02 Between 1885 and 1960, laws and policies designed to repress prostitution dramatically shaped London's commercial sex industry. This book examines how laws translated into street-level reality, explores how women who sold sex experienced criminalization, and charts the complex dimensions of the underground sexual economy in the modern metropolis. 31 02 First scholarly study of prostitution, including the criminalization of prostitution, in London during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries 13 02 JULIA LAITE Lecturer in Modern British History at Birkbeck College, University of London, UK. She has published several articles on prostitution in Britain and is presently researching women's migration, sexual labour, and human trafficking in the twentieth century world. 19 02 First in-depth examination of prostitution in London in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and in Britain after 1914 Explores criminalization and the impact of the criminal justice system, as well as regulation Argues that criminalization increased the stigma and harm associated with prostitution Contributes to present-day debates about prohibition, regulation and decriminalization of the commercial sex industry 04 02 List of Figures Acknowledgements Introduction: Criminalizing Commercial Sex Selling sex: Women, Work, and Prostitution Buying Sex: Men and the Marketplace The Crusade Begins: The Criminal Law Amendment Act and London's 'Brothels' Before the First World War Women in Public and Public Women: Controlling Street Prostitution 1887-1914 'Down on Whores' and 'Living on the Earnings': Violence, Vulnerability and the Law after 1885 White Slaves and Alien Prostitutes: Trafficking, Protection, and Punishment in the Early Twentieth Century Making War, Taking Fingerprints, and Challenging the Law: Policy Changes and Public Debates after 1914 Behind Closed Doors: Off-Street Commercial Sex in the Interwar Years Sex, War, and Syndication: Organized Prostitution and the Second World War The Shame of London: Prostitution and Panic in the Post-War Metropolis Risking the Dangers: Reconsidering Commercial Sex in 'Permissive Britain' Conclusion Appendix Notes Bibliography Index

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan,Palgrave Macmillan UK
• Subject: 19th century / 20th century / British History / Cities / Criminology / Criminology and Criminal Justice, general / England / Ethics / Gender and Women's History / Gender Studies / History / History of Britain and Ireland / Modern History / Palgrave History Collection / Prostitutes / Prostitution / Prostitution -- England -- London -- History / Prostitution -- England -- London -- Law and legislation / Public opinion / Real estate / Repression / Sex workers / Sex-oriented businesses / Social and Cultural History / Social conditions / Social History / United Kingdom / Urban history
• ISBN: 0230230547, 9780230230545, 9780230354210, 0230354211, 9781349311514, 1349311510