China, sex, and prostitution

the long version

"China, Sex and Prostitution in an important contribution to the work of critical inquiry in the fields of China studies, feminist studies, and social theory. It engages with debates on the nature and utility of attempts to apply mainstream theories in politico-cultural contexts other than those in which they were originally formulated by examining recent literature on sexuality, power, and prostitution. Starting off with a general critique of China studies scholarship since the Cold War period, the text moves on to a more focused examination of recent writings on sexuality in China. It then outlines the broad parameters of feminist prostitution debates concerning the most appropriate governmental response to prostitution. By analysing the Chinese policing of prostitution as a practice of governmentality, it highlights the unproductive nature of feminist debates concerning the optimal transnational response to prostitution, and hints at the insights a reconfigured form of China studies could bring to these and other critical debates within the new humanities. Specifically, the very diversity of prostitution businesses and practices that exist in present-day China suggests that it is not possible to characterize 'sex work' as a unified target of governmental intervention either in China or more generally."--BOOK JACKET.