Is there such thing as ‘global sex trafficking’?: a patchwork tale on useful (mis)understandings

This article intends to respond to a recent call (e.g., Zhang Global Crime 10(3):178-195, 2009; Brunovskis and Surtees International Migration 48(4):1-38, 2010) for more innovative studies and methodologies in order to move beyond the current discourse on human trafficking. We do so by describing th...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Pijl, Yvon van der 1970- (Author) ; Oude Breuil, Brenda Carina (Author) ; Siegel, Dina 1962- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2011
In: Crime, law and social change
Year: 2011, Volume: 56, Issue: 5, Pages: 567-582
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Keywords:
Criminal Network
Human Trafficking
Organise Crime
Stereotypical Image
Trafficking Victim
Description
Summary:This article intends to respond to a recent call (e.g., Zhang Global Crime 10(3):178-195, 2009; Brunovskis and Surtees International Migration 48(4):1-38, 2010) for more innovative studies and methodologies in order to move beyond the current discourse on human trafficking. We do so by describing three ethnographic fragments on the dynamics of (dealing with) sex trafficking within Europe. The concepts of ‘friction’ and ‘collaboration’ (Tsing Cultural Anthropology 15(3):327-360, 2000, 2005) are used to analyse these fragments. These concepts refer to creative processes that occur as people interact across differences. They give insight into how universal ideas on freedom and justice enable collaboration between parties involved in fighting human trafficking who do not necessarily share a common goal. We conclude that the presented method of ‘patchwork ethnography’ is useful in studying sex trafficking as it implies a strong focus on connections between ‘sites of diverse knowledge’, without losing sight of individual stories of people making those connections. ‘Patchwork ethnography’ is innovative and it allows researchers to expose and untangle the workings of the supposedly all-powerful phenomenon and the encompassing, uniform, hegemonic discourse surrounding human (sex) trafficking.
Item Description:Literaturverzeichnis: Seite 581-582
ISSN:1573-0751
DOI:10.1007/s10611-011-9335-0