Public Morality, Vulnerable Populations and Stigma

PUBLIC MORALITY, VULNERABLE POPULATIONS, AND STIGMA Using an Intersectional, Practice-Oriented Lens to Analyse Prostitution and LGBTQI+ Policies This course provides students with a historically grounded understanding of how public morals and biopolitical goals have governed and, in many cases, continue to rule policymaking on prostitution and LGBTQI+ policies in Europe and beyond. The origins of many policies governing sexuality and gender can be traced to the turn to nationalism in the 19th century and the associated moves of states to determine who should be understood as a citizen or excluded. States have increasingly shaped how citizens should behave or be subjected to stigma if they act in deviant ways. By applying an intersectional and practice-oriented lens, students will explore the continuous stigmatisation and marginalisation of the most vulnerable even through (seemingly) progressive policy approaches. Questions that will be discussed include: How can we understand the coalitions of radical feminists with conservative religious groups for so-called gender critical and anti-sex work activism? Which policies are best suited to protect sex workers from exploitation while also allowing for the integration of vulnerable migrants into local labour markets? Are equal marriage and the open presence of LGBTQI+ people in the armed forces progressive goals for a more inclusive society?