Obscene Traffic: Prostitution and Global Migrations from the Italian Perspective (1890–1940)

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Laura Schettini (University of Padua, Italy)

Obscene Traffic

Prostitution and Global Migrations from the Italian Perspective (1890–1940)

Laura Schettini (University of Padua, Italy)

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English

Routledge
18 December 2024

European history; Social & cultural history; Gender studies: men; Sociology: work & labour; Economic history

Series: Routledge Studies in Modern European History

This book explores the early globalization of prostitution from the perspective of the Italian case.

It is a story of prostitution, migration, and work, built through analyses of primary sources (the Italian archive of International Police) and covering a wide chronological period, from the end of the nineteenth century through the Second World War.

It is the story of Giuseppa, Virginia, and many others who embarked from Italian ports in the 1890s to work in brothels in Egypt, Libya, and Malta, but also that of Marguerite, one of the numerous foreign prostitutes working in Italy in the 1930s. It is the story of Mariella, forced by her husband Beniamino to work as a prostitute in the United States while pregnant in the 1900s, of Francesco, who on the eve of the Second World War recruited young natives to work in his cabarets in Panama. It is the story of a passionate diplomat committed to the League of Nations’ fight against the white slave traffic but also of police officers, consuls, and ministers more concerned about their nation’s reputation than women’s rights.

This book, aimed at students, scholars and non-profit organizations, illustrates the complexity of the world of prostitution as it transformed into a transnational market, its links with migration processes and colonial expansion, as well as its relevance as a (inter-)national political issue.

By: Laura Schettini (University of Padua Italy)
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9781032519463
ISBN 10: 1032519460
Series: Routledge Studies in Modern European History
Pages: 122
Publication Date: 18 December 2024
Audience: College/higher education , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Prostitution, Work, and Global Migration: An Introduction. Part 1: Routes. 1. Across the Mediterranean 2. The Americas. Part 2: Global Prostitution in Italy. 3. Italian Politics and International Prostitution 4. Global Prostitution in Italy 5. Conclusions.

Laura Schettini teaches Gender and Women’s History at the University of Padua (Italy). Her research interests include the history of sexuality, women's migration, and police. Her first book, Travestimenti e paure sociali tra Otto e Novecento (2011) won the 2012 Prize of the Italian Society of Contemporary History.