Fugitivity and

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• History
• Sociology

Background:

• Anti-prostitution campaigns frequently employ the rhetoric of slavery to describe sex work.
• This framing often overlooks the historical complexities and agency of enslaved individuals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critique the selective use of slavery as a metaphor in anti-prostitution discourse.
• To examine the potential of concepts like fugitivity and marronage for understanding contemporary sex work.

Main Methods:

• Literature review and critical analysis of historical and contemporary campaign rhetoric.
• Exploration of theoretical frameworks related to resistance and agency.

Main Results:

• The analogy between sex work and slavery often relies on a partial and generalized understanding of historical slavery.
• Histories of enslaved people's resistance, flight, and self-liberation are consistently ignored in these campaigns.

Conclusions:

• Rethinking the "slave" metaphor requires acknowledging the full spectrum of enslaved experiences, including resistance.
• Concepts of fugitivity and marronage offer valuable analytical tools for understanding the agency and experiences of sex workers.