Dealing in Desire
Asian Ascendancy, Western Decline, and the Hidden Currencies of Global Sex Work
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2244196 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Barbara G Brents (0000-0003-3783-6859, University of Nevada, Reno, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2016 |
| Pages | sow030 |
| Publication date | 2016-03-30 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Social Forces (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0037-7732 • E-ISSN: 1534-7605 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1093/sf/sow030 |
| OpenAlex | W2317490034 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 17 |
Few books weave so many important sociological questions into one compelling and readable narrative. Dealing in Desire: Asian Ascendancy, Western Decline and the Hidden Currencies of Global Sex Work is one of those that successfully pulls together insights on the political economy of globalization, sex, gender, race, and the body into a fascinating ethnography on the sex industry in Vietnam. The book is a groundbreaking look at the culture of East Asian ascendancy, the decline of Western masculine hegemony, and the role of the intimate economy in global development. Set during the Asian economy’s recent rise, Kimberly Kay Hoang gained access to a world few have seen, working for months at a time in Saigon’s high-, middle-, and lower-end hostess bars. Hoang tells a series of enthralling stories that operate at a number of different levels. We glimpse the everyday lives of sex workers and their clients. We glimpse the world of high finance in developing countries and the forging of personal trust that makes multi-billion-dollar deals possible in an uncertain legal climate. We see urban clients’ benevolent cash donations to sex workers’ families in the villages. We glimpse expatriates’ search for Asian authenticity. And we see how the sex workers in each layer facilitate the capital flows that make Vietnam’s rise possible.
China · East Asia · Economics · Economy · Globalization · Hegemony · Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) · Liberian dollar · Narrative · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sex work · Sociology · Gender Studies · Law · Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies · Vietnamese History and Culture Studies
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| Unique citing works | 17 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,7 |
| Citation span | 2016 - 2025 (10) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 5 |