The Sex Trade in the Tropical Pacific: The Potentials and Limits of Storytelling to Address Global Social Inequality

The Sex Trade in the Tropical Pacific: The Potentials and Limits of Storytelling to Address Global Social Inequality

Advisor/s

Victoria Kuttainen

College or Research Centre

College of Arts, Society & Education

Summary of Project

Since the early days of anthropology in the Pacific, in the work of Margaret Mead, for instance, issues of the sexual exploitation of Pacific Island women by Western visitors have been chronicled. In the post-colonial milieu, where economic hardship has beset the region and women and children are vulnerable, neo-colonial relationships between multi-national companies have much to answer for in transporting Australian and American male workers to hotspots for sex tourism in the Philippines, Fiji, and the Solomon Islands, for instance. Yet Australians largely remain ignorant of these issues on their doorstep. This project explores the scope of the problem, and the capacities and limits of storytelling (in the form of literary journalism, for example) to address it.

Key Words

postcolonialism; neo-colonialism; Pacific; women; sex-trade; sex tourism; storytelling; gender inequality; social justice

Would suit an applicant who

is interested in projects that engage with creative writing, literary studies, anthropology, women’s studies, or creative non-fiction are encouraged. Cross-disciplinary projects are particularly desired.

Updated: 08 Apr 2020