Description
Book Synopsis(Sub)Urban Sexscapes brings together a collection of theoretically-informed and empirically rich case studies from internationally renowned and emerging scholars highlighting the contemporary and historical geographies and regulation of the commercial sex industry. Contributions in this edited volume examine the spatial and regulatory contours of the sex industry from a range of disciplinary perspectivesâurban planning, urban geography, urban sociology, and, cultural and media studiesâand geographical contextsâAustralia, the UK, US and North Africa.
In overall terms, (Sub)urban Sexscapes highlights the mainstreaming of commercial sex premisesâsex shops, brothels, strip clubs and queer spacesâand productsâsex toys, erotic literature and pornographyânow being commonplace in night time economy spaces, the high street, suburban shopping centres and the home. In addition, the aesthetics of commercial and alternative sexual practicesâBDSM and pornographyâpermeate
Trade Review
This book is an impressive collection of studies of the geographical and regulatory dimensions of commercial sex. The breadth of the book is reflected in both the various kinds of sexual commerce examined and in its coverage of different nations. The tension between mainstreaming the sex industry and resistance to its growth, is a theme highlighted in several chapters and the book should be of interest to policy makers as well as scholars. Highly recommended.
Ronald Weitzer, George Washington University, USA
This book opens up a series of windows on the sex industry. Readers can dip in and out or read as a whole. Either way(Sub)Urban Sexscapes successfully highlights the importance of spatiality in commercialising sex. It is a must read for anyone interested in issues of sex, sexuality and space.
Robyn Longhurst, University of Waikato, New Zealand
This book is a valuable resource that prompts rethinking sex, work, sexuality, policies, bodies, place and space. Original and empirically rich, the collection advances theorising of commercial sex, adult entertainment, and subcultural sexual practices. Authors draw on contemporary themes and debates in geography, sociology, policy studies, planning, media studies, feminist and queer theories in order to engage with (sub)urban landscapes of sex work. Crucially, at the heart of the book is the critique of heteronormativity and an exposure of the regulation of bodies and places. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the complexities of agency and processes of regulation by which (im)moral geographies are constituted.
Lynda Johnston, Professor in Geography, University of Waikato
One of the most interesting developments in the recent study of sexuality has been an increasing focus on its spatial dimensions. Suburban Sexscapes ranges across the spaces and places of commercial sex, in private, public and virtual worlds and in mainstream and alternative spheres. This is a fascinating, thorough and comprehensive collection which will inspire and stimulate the future study of sexscapes.Feona Attwood, Middlesex University, UK
(Sub)Urban Sexscapes... is a timely reminder of the value of a diverse range of international perspectives on a topic that has become increasingly contentious for policy-makers and communities... This collection is a very vigourous contribution to the field with chapters presenting both theoretical and empirically original work.
Paul Ryan, Maynooth University, Ireland, Built Environment
Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Spatial and Regulatory Contours of the (Sub)Urban Sexscape Part I: Geographies of the Sex Industry 2. Cosmo-Sexual Sydney: Global city status, urban cosmopolitanism and the (sub)urban sexscape 3. Sex Shops in England’s Cities: From the backstreets to the high streets. 4. Conflict and Coexistence? Strip Clubs and Neighbors in ‘Pornland’, Oregon 5. Telecommunications Impacts on the Structure and Organisation of the Male Sex Industry 6. Housing Sex within the City: The placement of sex services beyond respectable domesticity? 7. The Landscape of BDSM Venues: A view from down under Part II: Regulation of the Sex Industry 8. Sexual Entertainment, Dread Risks and the Heterosexualization of Community Space 9. Sex and the Virtual Suburbs: The pornosphere and community standards. 10. Planning prostitution in colonial Morocco: Bousbir, Casablanca’s Quartier reserve 11. Regulating Adult Business to Make Spaces Safe for Heterosexual Families in Atlanta 12. Legal Landscapes of Erotic Cities: Comparing legal ‘prostitution’ in New South Wales and Nevada 13. From Perception to Reality: Negative secondary effects and effective regulation of sex businesses in the US Conclusions 14. Conclusion: Towards pragmatic regulation of the sex industry
