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  3. The Regulation of Prostitution in China
  • Cited by 3
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    • Publisher:
      Cambridge University Press
      Publication date:
      05 December 2024
      12 December 2024
      ISBN:
      9781316831946
      9781107179226
      9781316631232
      DOI:
      https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316831946
      Dimensions:
      (229 x 152 mm)
      Weight & Pages:
      0.758kg, 430 Pages
      Dimensions:
      (229 x 152 mm)
      Weight & Pages:
      00kg, 429 Pages
      • Subjects:
      Area Studies, Socio-Legal Studies, Law, Asian Studies, East Asian Government, Politics and Policy, Politics and International Relations
      Series:
      Cambridge Studies in Law and Society
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    • Selected: Digital
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    Subjects:
    Area Studies, Socio-Legal Studies, Law, Asian Studies, East Asian Government, Politics and Policy, Politics and International Relations
    Series:
    Cambridge Studies in Law and Society
    Information

    Book description

    In this compelling book, Margaret L. Boittin delves into the complex world of prostitution in China and how it shapes the lives of those involved in it. Through in-depth fieldwork, Boittin provides a fascinating case study of the role of law in everyday life and its impact on female sex workers, street-level police officers, and frontline public health officials. The book offers a unique perspective on the dynamics between society and the state, revealing how the laws that govern sex work affect those on the frontlines. With clear and accessible prose, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in law, state-society relations, China, and sex work.

    Awards

    Winner, 2025 Prize for Best Book on International Law and Social Science, American Society of International Law

    Short-listed, 2025 W. Wesley Pue Book Prize, Canadian law and society Association

    Winner, 2025 W. Wesley Pue Book Prize, Canadian Law and Society Association

    Honorable Mention, 2025 Qualitative and Multi-Method Research Section 37 Giovanni Sartori Book Award, American Political Science Association

    Winner, 2025 Choice Awards

    Reviews

    ‘This is an empirically rich, methodologically innovative, must-read book for anyone interested in sexuality, ethnographic methods, and law and society in China and beyond. Scholars, activists, and policymakers alike will find it accessible and informative. … Essential.’

    L. Ma Source: CHOICE

    ‘… a significant and insightful contribution to the literature on prostitution regulation, law enforcement, public health and women’s rights. It will be a valuable source for scholars in law, political science, sociology and China studies, as well as for anyone interested in the governance of sex work.’

    Anqi Shen Source: China Quarterly

    ‘Boittin provides a case study of the role of law in Chinese everyday life and its impact on female sex workers, street-level police officers, and frontline public health officials, with a focus on how the laws that govern sex work affect those actors.’

    Howard S. Erlanger Source: Law & Social Inquiry

    ‘The book is most interesting when it examines how these women see themselves, rather than the state’s perception of their illicit work. … In her fieldwork, Boittin, sometimes accompanied by a research assistant, boldly sallies forth into the demimonde of Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and elsewhere to conduct one-on-one interviews with an array of insiders covering the full gamut of China’s sex industry. … Boittin’s interviewees are clear-eyed and calculating about their situation, even if some are fanciful to the point of delusion, with some women long in the game promising themselves just a couple more years before heading back to the family farm for a bucolic retirement. These conversations reveal fascinating differences between how workers of differing status view their profession.’

    Robert Foyle Hunwick Source: China Books Review

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