Overview
- Offers an empirically novel account of the US framing of trafficking as a response to Evangelical attempts to widen the frame
- Speaks to an urgent transnational issue of concern to activists, voters and policymakers around the globe
- Contributes to theoretical debates on feminism and poststructuralism in international relations
Part of the book series: Human Rights Interventions (HURIIN)
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About this book
Human trafficking has come to be seen as a growing threat, and transnational advocacy networks opposed to human trafficking have succeeded in establishing trafficking as a pressing political problem. The meaning of human trafficking, however, remains an object of significant—and heated—contestation. This project draws upon feminist and poststructuralist international relations theories to offer a genealogy of U.S. neo-abolitionism. The analysis examines activist campaigns, legislative and policy debates, and legislation surrounding human trafficking and the Trafficking Victims Protection Act in order to argue that the dominant US framing of trafficking as prostitution and sex slavery is not as hegemonic as scholars and activists commonly argue. In fact, constructions of human trafficking have become more amenable to reconfiguration, paradoxically in large part because of Evangelical attempts to widen the frame. This is an empirically novel and theoretically rich account of an urgent transnational issue of concern to activists, voters and policymakers around the globe.
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Keywords
Table of contents (6 chapters)
Reviews
“This book is a must-read for anyone (scholar, practitioner, student) interested in trafficking and sex work. It includes the clearest and most effective analysis of feminist abolitionism that I have read. Lobasz also deftly balances a critical exploration of the contested nature of anti-trafficking discourses with what she calls a ‘generous’ account of these discourses, so as to thoughtfully engage with audiences that are not already convinced by the critiques.” (Meghana V. Nayak, Professor of Political Science, Chair of Women's and Gender Studies, Pace University, USA)
“Constructing Human Trafficking will change the way you think about trafficking. With lively prose and fascinating historical detail, Jennifer K. Lobasz narrates the emergence of trafficking as a humanitarian concern, and shows how its depoliticization became the basis of an unlikely alliance between feminists and evangelical Christians. An important book for anyone engaged in the problem of trafficking.” (Cara Daggett, Department of Political Science, Virginia Tech, USA)
“Constructing Human Trafficking is a unique and singular contribution—it demonstrates that even a concept that seems straightforward like ‘human trafficking’ has both constructed and contested meanings. Lobasz’s discourse analysis is thorough and revealing, and provides crucial insights to any feminist—or any policymaker—interested in taking trafficking seriously.” (Laura Sjoberg, Department of Political Science, University of Florida, USA)
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Jennifer K. Lobasz is Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science & International Relations and the Department of Women & Gender Studies at the University of Delaware, USA.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Constructing Human Trafficking
Book Subtitle: Evangelicals, Feminists, and an Unexpected Alliance
Authors: Jennifer K. Lobasz
Series Title: Human Rights Interventions
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91737-5
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Political Science and International Studies, Political Science and International Studies (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG, part of Springer Nature 2019
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-91736-8Published: 16 August 2018
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-06289-7Published: 20 December 2018
eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-91737-5Published: 31 July 2018
Series ISSN: 2946-5117
Series E-ISSN: 2946-5125
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XV, 210
Topics: Politics and Gender, Human Rights, International Relations Theory, Trafficking, Globalization