Prostitution and Beyond is an edited volume that discusses a spectrum of issues that are pertinent to sex workers in India. These issues have been dealt with on various research platforms before. By collectively presenting these diverse research conclusions, this volume explores the broader interconnectivity of issues that affect women in prostitution. Its objective is to reach a wider audience consisting of both women who are initiated, and those as yet uninitiated into prostitution. This volume takes on the responsibility of countering the negativity that has come to be indelibly associated with any mention of sex workers. This is reflected in the construction of the sections and the choice of papers, group discussions, interviews and commentaries included in this volume. Throughout its four sections of feminist discourse, ethnographic studies, socio-economic legal-health frameworks and cultural reflections, this book draws on the experiences of academicians, activists, researchers and scholars with varied backgrounds.

The Veshyā, the Ganika and the Tawaif: Representations of Prostitutes and Courtesans in Indian Language, Literature and Cinema

The Veshyā, the Ganika and the Tawaif: Representations of Prostitutes and Courtesans in Indian Language, Literature and Cinema

The veshyā, the ganika and the tawaif: Representations of prostitutes and courtesans in Indian language, literature and cinema
GayatriChatterjee

The circumstances of the contemporary prostitute might be distinct from those in the past; but literary and cinematic representations continue to be steeped in traditional perception, verbalization and visualization, all well established and sanctioned by the society. Today, she might be a citizen of the Indian state, part of the democracy, with the right to vote and liable to be judged in a civil court; but this makes little difference to her social status.1 Additionally, the representation-narration around the prostitute continues to tell old tales, seldom revealing the tremendously varied ...

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