Re: The Institution of Prostitution under capitalism maintainsthe sexist/class/racist structure of capitalism, and has particulary additional effects

[Xxxx Xxxxx Xxxxxx <xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Yoshie Furuhashi wrote:

> Xxxx:
>
> >Indian Prostitute as a Colonial Subject
> >Bengal 1864-1883
> >
> >by Ratnabali Chatterjee
> >
> >The life of a professional courtesan in India is not of the same
> >degraded character as that of prostitute in England nor are prostitutes
> >as a class looked down upon by other sections of community. They have
> >special usage's and relation which are recognised by courts and they are
> >not the same objects of mingled aversion and commiseration as persons
> >who resort to a similar means of livelihood in more civilised countries.
> >(Home Judicial File no. 48 1145)
> >
> >In 1864, the Contagious Diseases Act was passed in Britain and also
> >applied to other parts of the empire. It was amended with a view towards
> >greater effectiveness between 1866 and 1869. The key element of this
> >measure was the compulsory examination of women (mainly prostitutes)
> >suspected of having venereal disease. As such, it became more binding
> >upon the prostitutes than their clients. In India, those prostitutes who
> >were mainly visited by the British soldiers were picked out, segregated,
> >and examined.
> <snip>
> >Thus the Indian prostitute found herself in a paradoxical position in
> >what was considered to her moment of liberation. The pre-colonial norms
> >had granted pressures of colonial rule, and she was left without any
> >patrons. The new group of compradore elites agreed with the missionaries
> >and looked upon her as a 'victim'. setting her up as a subject of
> >reform.
>
> >Do you notice, Mine, that the article by Ratnabali Chatterjee you
> >posted here contradicts the other article by Melissa Farley, Isin
> >Baral, Merab Kiremire and Ufuk Sezgin that you also posted here?
>

I know. That is why I posted contradictory articles, although I share some of
the authors views about the "traumatic and violent effects of prostitution"
on women. That is the only credit I give to them.  What they lack is that
they do *not*  look at the class/ethnic/race composition of women forced into
sex industry in the countries they studied. With that said, they overlook to
look at "capitalism as political economy" and  its varying effects on
different types of women . For example, they study US on the same ground as
they study Turkey.  This is evidently  bullshit.


> >Why do rape & violence become occupational hazards of sex work?

because capitalism leaves some women with very little option but to sell
their bodies.

>
>  > And it is _sexism_ that motivates men's
> >violence against women, not men's nature or the fact that sometimes
> >female victims of violence are prostitutes.  (The occupation of women
> >should not be allowed to become an excuse of violence.)

Who argued this? IT IS *NOT* THE OCCUPATION OF WOMEN OR INDIVIDUAL
PROSTITUTES THAT WE ARE CRITICIZING. IT IS THE CAPITALIST SYSTEM THAT FORCES
WOMEN INTO THIS OCCUPATION! THIS OCCUPATION ITSELF IS A SYSTEMIC PROBLEM,
WHICH LIES AT THE ROOT OF THE SEXIST AND RACIST CAPITALIST ORDER.


> Blaming >rape
> >& violence on sex work lets sexism & rapists off the hook.
>

Nobody argued that it was in men's nature  to rape women. We are talking
about the compulsive nature of sex industry here-- the conditions women are
left to choose by necessity, not by consent, political economy of
prostitution under capitalism, in other words. Please, read posts carefully
before responding, Yoshie!


Xxxx


>
> Yoshie

Xxxx


--

Xxxx Xxxxx Xxxxxx
PhD Student
Department of Political Science
SUNY at Albany
Nelson A. Rockefeller College
135 Western Ave.; Milne 102
Albany, NY 12222



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