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“We are not selling our bodies; we are just selling sex”: Exploring the alienated experience of sex workers across space and place
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2024.
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
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| _version_ | 1867614121219850240 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Fife, Nabeelah |
| author2 | Fakier, Khayaat |
| author_browse | Fakier, Khayaat Fife, Nabeelah |
| author_facet | Fakier, Khayaat Fife, Nabeelah |
| author_sort | Fife, Nabeelah |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/131658 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:47:00.249Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/131658 “We are not selling our bodies; we are just selling sex”: Exploring the alienated experience of sex workers across space and place Fife, Nabeelah Fakier, Khayaat Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Sociology & Social Anthropology. Prostitutes -- Social conditions -- South Africa -- Cape Town Prositutes -- Services for -- South Africa -- Cape Town Sex workers -- Social conditions -- South Africa -- Cape Town Sex industry -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Cape Town Prostitution -- Social conditions -- South Africa -- Cape Town Sex workers -- Legal status, laws, etc. Prostitutes -- Legal status, laws, etc. Women's rights UCTD Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study explores the perceptions of five sex workers on the working conditions and nature of the sex work industry in Cape Town and broader South Africa. While the practice of selling sex commonly evokes negative stereotypes about the sex work population, this study considers how entry into sex work for many is a choice. Thus, sex work emerges as a liberatory practice, particularly for those who are fleeing from the conditions of township living and others from precarious jobs, prejudice, danger, or non-supportive families. In making this analysis, this study draws on Lefebvre and Massey’s theories of space and place; Bourdieu, Standing’s, and Butler’s theory of precarity; Marx’s theory of alienation; Gimlin’s theory of bodywork; as well as Hochschild’s theory emotional labour and emotional rules. In taking seriously the claim that sex work makes for an illegitimate means of work, this study explores the local meaning of sex work from the perspectives of sex workers themselves and the ways in which sex work as a form of work is affirmed as functional and a survivalist strategy. The study concludes that the exploitative and violent conditions experienced at the hands of clients, police, brothel managers, and other sex workers are due to the legal status of sex work in South Africa. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie ondersoek die persepsies van vyf sekswerkers oor die werksomstandighede en aard van die sekswerkbedryf in Kaapstad, en binne die grense van Suid-Afrika. Terwyl die praktyk om seks te verkoop, as produk, bring te vore negatiewe stereotipes oor die sekswerkpopulasie oproep. Hierdie studie oorweeg hoe toegang tot sekswerk vir baie 'n keuse is, waarin sekswerk na vore kom as 'n liberale praktyk, veral vir diegene wat vlug uit die toestande van lae sosio-ekonomiese leef omstandighede, ander van onseker werke, vooroordeel, gevaar of nie-ondersteuning gesinne. In die maak van hierdie analise, maak hierdie studie gebruik van Lefebvre en Massey se teorieë van ruimte en plek; Bourdieu, Standing‘s en Butler se teorie van prekariteit; Marx se teorie van vervreemding; Gimlin se teorie van liggaamswerk; asook Hochschild se teorie emosionele arbeid en emosionele reëls. Deur die bewering dat sekswerk 'n onwettige arbeidspraktyk is, ondersoek hierdie studie die plaaslike betekenis van sekswerk vanuit die perspektiewe van sekswerkers self, en die maniere waarop sekswerk as 'n vorm van werk as funksioneel en 'n oorlewingstrategie. Die studie kom tot die gevolgtrekking dat die uitbuitende en gewelddadige toestande wat in die hande van kliënte, polisie, bordeelbestuurders en ander sekswerkers ervaar word, te wyte is aan die wetlike status van sekswerk in Suid-Afrika. Masters 2025-02-04T08:37:02Z 2025-02-04T08:37:02Z 2024-12 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/131658 en Stellenbosch University 92 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Prostitutes -- Social conditions -- South Africa -- Cape Town Prositutes -- Services for -- South Africa -- Cape Town Sex workers -- Social conditions -- South Africa -- Cape Town Sex industry -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Cape Town Prostitution -- Social conditions -- South Africa -- Cape Town Sex workers -- Legal status, laws, etc. Prostitutes -- Legal status, laws, etc. Women's rights UCTD Fife, Nabeelah “We are not selling our bodies; we are just selling sex”: Exploring the alienated experience of sex workers across space and place |
| title | “We are not selling our bodies; we are just selling sex”: Exploring the alienated experience of sex workers across space and place |
| title_full | “We are not selling our bodies; we are just selling sex”: Exploring the alienated experience of sex workers across space and place |
| title_fullStr | “We are not selling our bodies; we are just selling sex”: Exploring the alienated experience of sex workers across space and place |
| title_full_unstemmed | “We are not selling our bodies; we are just selling sex”: Exploring the alienated experience of sex workers across space and place |
| title_short | “We are not selling our bodies; we are just selling sex”: Exploring the alienated experience of sex workers across space and place |
| title_sort | we are not selling our bodies we are just selling sex exploring the alienated experience of sex workers across space and place |
| topic | Prostitutes -- Social conditions -- South Africa -- Cape Town Prositutes -- Services for -- South Africa -- Cape Town Sex workers -- Social conditions -- South Africa -- Cape Town Sex industry -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Cape Town Prostitution -- Social conditions -- South Africa -- Cape Town Sex workers -- Legal status, laws, etc. Prostitutes -- Legal status, laws, etc. Women's rights UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/131658 |
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