Description
Book SynopsisHonorable Mention, 2024 Outstanding Book Award, given by the American Society of Criminology's Division of International Criminology An in-depth portrait of Thailand's billion-dollar sex industryThailand is known internationally as a popular sex tourism destination. Yet, despite its size and reputation, remarkably little research has focused on the country's sex industry over the past two decades. Based on original ethnographic data and other sources, Sex Tourism in Thailand is an expansive yet nuanced study of diverse sex markets and their moral economies. Ronald Weitzer shows that although some of the central pillars of Thailand's sex industry remain unaltered over the past four decades, in other respects there has been a profound transformation. In the sector oriented toward foreign visitors, the number of sex businesses and independent operators has grown numerically and geographically; customers are increasingly diverse in race and nationality; paid sexual encounters are no long
Trade ReviewRonald Weitzer has done it again!
Sex Tourism in Thailand is a fascinating, innovative study of the socioeconomic organization of the Thai sex industry that is sure to be of interest to scholars. This is by far the most detailed account on the market of the everyday realities that structure the Thai sex industry. * Susan Dewey, co-author of Women of the Street: How the Criminal Justice-Social Services Alliance Fails Women in Prostitution *
Weitzer presents an authentic account of Thailand’s contemporary sex industry, one that challenges prevailing stereotypes regarding the relationship between sex tourists and local sex workers. A fine example of field work that should inspire all who seek to advance social knowledge and to influence public policy. * Sheldon X. Zhang, author of Chinese Human Smuggling Organizations: Families, Social Networks, and Cultural Imperatives *
Sex Tourism in Thailand gives us a comprehensive, informative, lucid presentation of Thai sexual commerce that is unique in its style and solid in its interpretation. * William Jankowiak, editor of Illicit Monogamy: Inside a Fundamentalist Mormon Community *
Weitzer skillfully highlights the ‘polymorphous’ paradigm to identify the structural differences, general patterns, and significant departures in each of the main sectors of the tourist-oriented market in Thailand. Exposing the deleterious effect of criminalization,
Sex Work in Thailand also calls for a decriminalization and legalization of prostitution in Thailand * Tiantian Zheng, author of Violent Intimacy: Family Harmony, State Stability, and Intimate Partner Violence in Post-Socialist China *
Weitzer turns his empirical gaze to Thailand's sex industry, diving deep into each sector to provide a comprehensive look at recent patterns, changes, and dynamics. His ethnographic research provides welcome attention to the wide diversity within the industry. * Barbara Brents, co-author of Paying for Sex in a Digital Age: US and UK Perspectives *
