Dealing in Desire - Asian Ascendancy, Western Decline, Hidden Currencies of Global Sex

"This fascinating ethnography examines one segment of Vietnam's diverse sex industry. Between 2006 and 2010, author Kimberly Kay Hoang was employed at four exclusive Saigon hostess bars catering to high-end clientele: wealthy Asian businessmen, Western expatriates and tourists, local Vietnamese men, and Viet Kieus (ethnic Vietnamese living abroad). Using participant observation and in-depth interviews with the sex workers, bar owners, managers, and mostly rich clients at all four locations, Hoang argues that Vietnam's high-end sex industry is much more than a byproduct of globalization--it's an integral component of the country's free-market capitalism, including its emergence as a regional economic player. Major business deals in Vietnam often occur within hostess bars, which businessmen use to stage a display of power, forge relationships, and impress clients. Hostesses facilitate these transactions by socializing with clients, as well as fulfilling fantasies of the flesh and of the culture. The authorreveals how recent changes in the political economy have shaped the social structure of sex work in the country, just as actors involved in the sex industry have actively shaped Vietnam's political economy. Multiple constructions of gender are emerging across local, national, and global socio-spaces from the bottom up and the top down"--Provided by publisher.

About the author

Kimberly Kay Hoang is Assistant Professor of Sociology and the College at the University of Chicago.

Summary

Explores Vietnam's sex industry as the country ascends the global and regional stage. This book looks at both the sex workers and their clients to show how Vietnamese high finance and benevolent giving are connected to the intimate spheres of the informal economy.

Product details

• Authors: Kimberly Kay Hoang, Hoang Kimberly Kay
• Publisher: University Of California Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 24.03.2015
• EAN: 9780520275577
• ISBN: 978-0-520-27557-7
• No. of pages: 248
• Dimensions: 151 mm x 230 mm x 15 mm
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Philosophy > General, dictionaries; Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political education; Vietnam, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Gender Studies, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Anthropology / Cultural & Social, Social & cultural anthropology, ethnography, Social and cultural anthropology, Gender studies, gender groups, Sex and sexuality, social aspects, Ethical Issues: Prostitution & Sex Industry, Ethical issues and debates, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Human Sexuality