The Sex Worker Zine Project

The Sex Worker Zine Project

Oliveira, E. and Vearey, J. (eds) (2016) The Sex Worker Zine Project. MoVE and ACMS: Johannesburg

Abstract:
Featuring the zines produced by 24 men, women, and transgender persons who live and sell sex in the Gauteng, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa, this publication includes reflections by participants, civil society activists, and researchers from across the globe. The contributors to this publication challenge the stereotype of the migrant sex worker, calling for a move away from a single, rehearsed story; they challenge us to confront knowledge politics; to (re)consider ways of producing, sharing, and engaging with multiple narratives. We hope that the stories shared through these zines, and the reflections from other contributors, provide opportunities for varied forms of public engagement on issues relating to migration, sex work and the politics of knowledge, in ways that honour the storyteller, and – critically – move away from the single story.

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About Elsa Oliveira

Elsa Oliveira is a postdoctoral researcher at the African Centre for Migration and Society (ACMS), Wits University, where she is also the co-coordinator of the MoVE (methods:visual:explore) project.

Since 2010, Elsa has been involved in a wide range of participatory arts-based projects with diverse migrant populations in rural and urban areas of South Africa. She has a PhD in Migration and Displacement and is interested in the areas of gender, migration, sexualities, wellbeing, and informal livelihood strategies.

• Narratives in a Time of Crisis (2022) - February 20, 2023
• OP-ED: No country for poor people – South African government must act on its motto of ‘saving lives and protecting livelihoods’ - March 31, 2021
• CfP: Special Issue – (Re)imagining Research, Activism, and Rights at the Intersections of Sexuality, Health, and Social Justice - August 23, 2020
• SeaM: Security at the Margins - July 6, 2020
• The personal is political: a feminist reflection on a journey into participatory arts-based research with sex worker migrants in South Africa - November 7, 2019
• Mwangaza Mama - March 11, 2019
• Mapping Trends: Power imbalances and the circulation of information on sex work - October 30, 2018
• Making Research and Building Knowledge with Communities: Examining Three Participatory Visual and Narrative Projects with Migrants Who Sell Sex in South Africa - November 15, 2017
• Examining the use of participatory visual and narrative methods to explore the lived experience of migrants in Southern Africa - August 10, 2017
• Beyond the single story: creative research approaches with migrant sex workers in South Africa - May 4, 2017