An in-depth portrait of Thailand’s billion-dollar sex industry
Thailand is known internationally as a popular sex tourism destination. Yet, despite its size and reputation, remarkably little research has focused on the country’s sex industry over the past two decades. Based on original ethnographic data and other sources, Sex Tourism in Thailand is an expansive yet nuanced study of diverse sex markets and their moral economies.
Ronald Weitzer shows that although some of the central pillars of Thailand’s sex industry remain unaltered over the past four decades, in other respects there has been a profound transformation. In the sector oriented toward foreign visitors, the number of sex businesses and independent operators has grown numerically and geographically; customers are increasingly diverse in race and nationality; paid sexual encounters are no longer confined to young Thai women and older white men; transgender women comprise a significant share of the workforce; and technological advances give participants more autonomy than ever before. Sex Tourism in Thailand explores these developments in conjunction with related structural and experiential dimensions in an illuminating account of sexual commerce in Southeast Asia.
0 有用 唐子胥 2025-06-21 17:28:36 四川
和泰国的性产业相关的社会学论著不太好寻找，这本书算是非常相关的书籍之一。或许是因为阅读英文原版书仍然存在不小的障碍，书中的观点启发性有限。 但值得注意的是，作者首先对于泰国的性产业做了面向国内和面向国外的区分，在所谓的sex tourism 中更以具体行业和地点做了分划。对比于之前的泰国性产业研究以及其他国家的性产业研究，本书中的观点显然更包容：性产业在各自具体的门类中各有不同的特征和特质，一味地... 和泰国的性产业相关的社会学论著不太好寻找，这本书算是非常相关的书籍之一。或许是因为阅读英文原版书仍然存在不小的障碍，书中的观点启发性有限。 但值得注意的是，作者首先对于泰国的性产业做了面向国内和面向国外的区分，在所谓的sex tourism 中更以具体行业和地点做了分划。对比于之前的泰国性产业研究以及其他国家的性产业研究，本书中的观点显然更包容：性产业在各自具体的门类中各有不同的特征和特质，一味地鼓吹性产业合法化或者宣扬性产业对于女性唯一的压迫作用都是偏离事实的。 相比于泰国性产业的世界闻名，这一领域的调查研究似乎远不足够。书中借助一手的田野资料以及相关论坛的信息收集大致描绘了这一产业的轮廓。贫穷的泰国女/男性挣扎于这一行业中求生，但在经济收益的光鲜之下，是更为迫切的自我宽慰需要和真爱执念。 (展开)