Performing and Policing Prostitution

Race and Sexuality in Colonial Hong Kong Under the Contagious Diseases Ordinances

Dados Bibliográficos

ID21392406
AutoresEzra Kücken (Philipps University of Marburg, autor correspondente)
Ano2025
Volume33
Fascículo2
Páginas201-233
Data de publicação2025-06-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoNTM Zeitschrift für Geschichte der Wissenschaften Technik und Medizin (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0036-6978 • E-ISSN: 1420-9144
EditoraSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s00048-025-00417-5
PMID40323343
OpenAlexW4410093446
IdiomaEN
Referências citadas29

This paper delves into the complex construction and regulation of prostitution in colonial Hong Kong, exploring how intersecting dynamics of race, gender, class, and sexuality influenced perceptions and governance. Drawing on intersectionality, doing gender, and performativity frameworks, it analyzes the role of patriarchal imperialist capitalism, medical expertise, and humanitarian networks in shaping colonial attitudes toward prostitution, particularly through the enactment of contagious diseases (CD) ordinances. Despite existing scholarship on imperial regulation, there is a notable gap regarding the nuanced construct of the prostitute herself and its impact on regulatory practices. Through examination of historical documents, the paper reveals the interdependence between colonial and domestic constructions of race, sexuality, and class, highlighting their influence on legislative approaches in Britain and its colonies. By situating Hong Kong within broader imperial networks and scrutinizing medico-moral discourse and capitalist imperatives, the study exposes contradictions in colonial regulation, emphasizing the enduring legacies of exploitation. It advocates for further research into the performance and policing of prostitution, stressing the necessity of an intersectional lens to comprehend the complexities of colonial history

Colonialism · Criminology · Human sexuality · Political science · Race (biology) · Sociology · Gender Studies · Hong Kong and Taiwan Politics · Law · Philippine History and Culture · Sex work and related issues