Parrhesia & Governmentality: A Foucauldian Study on Sex Workers in India
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32674/7sm67h45Keywords:
Coercion, parrhesia, sex trade, vulnerability, womenAbstract
Sex trafficking is one of the most heinous crimes in the world. Generally, these acts are covert in nature. The main aim of this research is to study the life of the prostitutes using ethnographic research methodology. By employing Michel Foucault’s notions of Parrhesia & Governmentality, it is intended to be seen if the streetwalkers are willing to express the truth about themselves. It has been found out from the research that corruption and coercion are the two main contributors to trafficking and the eliciting of parrhesia from the victims and the police leads to positive transformation, thereby ushering in governmentality. Studying the lives of this underrepresented community following an interactionist approach motivates them to take better care of themselves.
References
Essentials of Migration Management Trafficking in Persons Essentials of Migration Management 2 Content. (n.d.). https://www.iom.int/sites/g/files/tmzbdl486/files/jahia/webdav/site/myjahiasite/shared/shared/mainsite/microsites/IDM/workshops/Capacity_27280905/breakout_2.pdf
Foucault, M. (2011). The Courage of Truth. United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan UK.
Guérin, I., Kumar, S., & Venkatasubramanian, G. (2023). The indebted woman: Kinship,
sexuality, and capitalism. Stanford University Press.
Howard, N., & Lalani, M. (2008). Editorial introduction: the politics of human trafficking. St Antony's International Review, 4(1), 5-15.
India: extreme inequality in numbers | Oxfam International. (2022, September 9). Oxfam International. https://www.oxfam.org/en/india-extreme-inequality-numbers
Jackman, N. R., O'Toole, R., & Geis, G. (1963). The self‐image of the prostitute. Sociological Quarterly, 4(2), 150-157.
Jain, V., & Arora, R. (2024). Parrhesia and governmentality: A Foucauldian study in the field of medical science. Éthique & Santé. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.etiqe.2024.08.001
Lambert, I., Wright, N., Gardner, A., Fyson, R., Abubakar, A., & Clawson, R. (2024). Cognitive Impairment as a vulnerability for exploitation: a scoping review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 15248380241282993.
McCarthy, B., Benoit, C., & Jansson, M. (2014). Sex work: A comparative study. Archives of sexual behavior, 43, 1379-1390.
O’hara, M. (2019). Making pimps and sex buyers visible: Recognising the commercial nexus in ‘child sexual exploitation’. Critical Social Policy, 39(1), 108-126. https://doi.org/10.1177/0261018318764758
National Commission for Protection of Child Rights. (n.d.). https://ncpcr.gov.in/uploads/165777490662cfa33a1221a_97200164.pdf
Ślęzak, I. (2023). Navigating Power Dynamics in Virtual Interviews with Sex Workers during COVID-19: A Researcher-Participant Perspective. Qualitative Report, 28(9).
Raymond, J. G. (2002, September). The new UN trafficking protocol. In Women's studies international forum (Vol. 25, No. 5, pp. 491-502). Pergamon.
