The Waves of Activism: An Ethnographic Study of Sex Work Activism in Dublin and London
Abstract
How women tell their stories is changing. Women deemed sexually transgressive, from the Magdalene laundries to the #metoo movement have struggled to make their voices heard and believed in the public sphere. A third wave of feminist activism (Gillis and Munford 2004; Aune and Holyoak 2017, Cox 2014, 18) of the late 19th century then presents with an alternative framework. This new wave of activism is less reliant on non-governmental organisations to campaign and mediate women’s stories and more inclusive of the diversity present in the category of gender and its associated roles and implications. This project tells the stories of one group of these women – sex work activists in Dublin, Ireland and London, England. While much research has been conducted on both the numbers and experiences of those in the sex industry, little attention has been on the women as activists, who have campaigned in their personalised approach to highlight the harms and resist the laws that govern sex work and prostitution. This essay is an ethnographic qualitative study and so the research questions focus on the journey of sex work activists, the consequences, and opportunities of their involvement and whether they are adequately representative. In addition, it also explores the role of digital activism within the ‘third wave phenomenon’, creating a possible global solidarity among the activists which is seen to be an urgent need to bridge the gap between academia and raw activism.
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