Queering Historical Sex Work: A Brothel Archaeology Framework

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)", at the 2025 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Brothel archaeology is undoubtedly an important part of historical archaeology, but in many ways, this field is still in its infancy. The use of theoretical approaches in brothel archaeology, namely the feminist theories this field has been intimately connected with since its inception in the 1980s, still has room to grow. Specifically, while brothel archaeology has been referred to in conjunction with queer theory in various contexts, that connection has yet to be made explicit. This paper will propose a theoretical framework to solidify this connection and provide a new avenue through which to explore historical sex work in archaeological contexts using case studies from brothel archaeology in the American West, including the Restricted District of Sandpoint, ID.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2025

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow