1st Edition
Archaeology of a Brothel in Nineteenth-Century Boston, MA Erotic Facades
Archaeology of a Brothel in Nineteenth-Century Boston, MA provides an accessible and thought-provoking account of the archaeological understanding of nineteenth-century prostitution in Boston, Massachusetts.
The book explores how the practice of nineteenth-century sex work involved a careful construction of fantasy for brothel customers. This fantasy had the potential to provide financial stability and security for the madam of the establishment, if not for the women working for them. Employing theories of embodiment, sexuality, and an archaeology of the senses, this study of the Endicott Street collection contributes a new methodological and theoretical framework for studying the archaeology of prostitution across time, space, and culture. The material culture recovered from brothel sites allows exploration of both the semi-private, "behind the scenes" narrative of sex work, as well as the semi-public, eroticised "performance space" where patrons were entertained. Few books on the archaeology of sex work exist and this volume will both provide an updated perspective on the history of sex work in Boston in the nineteenth century as well as tie advances in gender and embodiment theories to a compelling case study.
The book is for students and scholars of historical archaeology, nineteenth-century urban America, and gender studies. Students studying feminist theory and archaeology of the senses will also be interested in the contents.
1. A Quiet House: An Introduction; 2. The "Social Evil" in the City On a Hill: Boston, Massachusetts, and Prostitution in the Nineteenth Century; 3. Finely Dressed and Very Accomplished: Identity, Gender, Sexuality, and Race in Nineteenth-Century Sex Work; 4. "The Common Enemy of the Family": Sex Work and the Inversion of the Nineteenth-Century Family; 5. "It Is the Devil’s Business": Acceptable Labor, Clandestine Labor, and Sex Work; 6. Cultivated Bodies, Cultivated Spaces: Control, Manipulation, and Violence in Nineteenth-Century Sex Work; 7. Conclusion: Why Should We Care About the Lives of Nineteenth-Century Sex Workers?
Biography
Dr. Jade Luiz received her Ph.D. from Boston University in 2018. She specializes in historical archaeology, nineteenth-century urbanism, gender, and archaeology of the senses. In particular, her research delves into the history of nineteenth-century prostitution, focusing on an archaeological collection from a North End brothel on Endicott Street. Currently she is an assistant professor of anthropology at Metropolitan State University of Denver.
