{"product_id":"the-business-of-pleasure-a-history-of-paid-sex-in-the-heart-of-europe-paperback","title":"The Business of Pleasure: A History of Paid Sex in the Heart of Europe - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eElwin Hofman\u003c\/b\u003e (Editor), \u003cb\u003eMagaly Rodr?guez Garc?a\u003c\/b\u003e (Editor), \u003cb\u003ePieter Vanhees\u003c\/b\u003e (Editor)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFirst English-language book on the history of commercial sex in Belgium\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 2022, the Belgian parliament made a landmark decision by approving the decriminalisation of sex work. This move positioned the small nation as the first country in Europe - and the second globally - to abandon the hypocrisy of tolerance. But this was not the first time paid sex in Belgium gained international notoriety. The medieval bathhouses and 'frows of Flanders' were well-known throughout Europe. In the nineteenth century, Belgium faced international outrage as the alleged epicentre of white slavery. Yet while Belgians were accused of forcing white women into prostitution, they were left alone when it came to the inclusion of any suspect woman in the prostitution registers of colonial Congo. Throughout the First and Second World Wars, both allied and German soldiers sought relief in Belgian brothels. \u003cem\u003eThe Business of Pleasure\u003c\/em\u003e presents the compelling life stories of sex workers and their interactions with authorities, clients and pimps. Transcending stereotypes, this history of commercial sex offers a nuanced understanding of the difficulties and opportunities associated with paid sex for women, men and trans persons past and present.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eContributors: Elwin Hofman (Utrecht University), Magaly Rodr?guez Garc?a (KU Leuven), Pieter Vanhees (former researcher KU Leuven), Jelle Haemers (KU Leuven), Amandine Lauro (Universit? libre de Bruxelles), Maarten Loopmans (KU Leuven), Ilias Loopmans (MA history student at University of Antwerp), Sonia Verstappen (former sex worker).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eElwin Hofman is a cultural historian and writer. He teaches at Utrecht University and has (co)authored several books on cultural history, including a history of homosexuality in Belgium.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMagaly Rodríguez García is an authority on the history of international labour organisations and subaltern history. She is a professor at KU Leuven and collaborates with Belgian and foreign colleagues on projects regarding, inter alia, sex work and prostitution policy at the local, national and supranational levels. In the context of oral history projects, she became closely involved with advocacy groups for vulnerable persons such as sex workers and homeless people.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePieter Vanhees is a social historian and has researched the history of prostitution in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries at KU Leuven.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 184\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.39 x 9.21 x 6.14 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e October 15, 2024\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51773852254496,"sku":"9789462704107","price":34.56,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/ce839d74d579435b9d078d4a8bc7cc79_617097cd-d706-4e39-be96-573bb137ca94.webp?v=1780434341","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/the-business-of-pleasure-a-history-of-paid-sex-in-the-heart-of-europe-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}