Policing Bodies

I. India Thusi is Professor of Law at Indiana University Bloomington Maurer School of Law, with a joint appointment at the Kinsey Institute. She has worked with the ACLU, Human Rights Watch, the Center for Constitutional Rights, and The Opportunity Agenda.

"Since the height of second-wave feminism in the 1970s, the efforts of American liberal and radical feminists toward the decriminalization of sex work have been consistently frustrated. From a global perspective, the rise of these abolitionist practices in Scandinavian countries further advanced this debate on decriminalization. Notably, this debate has predominantly been promoted by white and Western feminist academics and activists. Based on her extended empirical fieldwork and in-depth theoretical thinking in urban South Africa, legal scholar India Thusi's newest volumePolicing Bodiesprovides postcolonial perspectives on this provocative issue."—Shu Wan, H-History-and-Theory --- "What [Policing Bodies] clearly shows is the complexity of relationships between sex workers and law enforcement, and how criminalizing sex work is counterproductive. It makes an important and novel contribution to our understanding of the thorny issues around policing and sex work, as well as the state's obligation to protect the rights of sex workers while at the same time regulating their behavior."—Amanda Gouws, Signs: Journal of Women in Culutre and Society --- "With its numerous footnoted references and studies providing both support and additional bibliographic research opportunities, Policing Bodies is a unique scholarly consideration that should be considered a mainstay not in just South African libraries, but in any collection strong in social and legal issues in general and sex work and law enforcement in particular."—Diane C. Donovan, Midwest Book Review --- "In this well-crafted examination of the sex industry in Johannesburg, Thusi heightens our understanding of the complex reality of sex work and the evolving nature of its policing. Not only does the book provide an excellent analysis of the situation, it is a really good read!" —Frances M. Shaver, Concordia University --- "Policing Bodies offers a fascinating, entirely unique analysis of the policing of prostitution within multiple street and indoor venues. A major contribution to our understanding of the dynamics of prostitution and its control."—Ronald Weitzer, George Washington University --- "Thusi's compelling research provides unprecedented insights into the world of policing sex work, and supports arguments for decriminalizing sex work so that women may pursue options deemed beneficial, including selling sex." —Cathi Albertyn, University of the Witwatersrand