Sexuality is often understood to be uniquely private and intimate--something that can and should be protected from capitalism's influence. This book argues, in contrast, that the histories of capitalism and sexuality are closely intertwined. Integral to this story has been the illusion that economic and sexual practices are tied to fundamentally different realms. Focusing on the history of sex work in Britain, the book shows that capitalism has long needed the construction of artificial boundaries around sex and work in order to extract profit from sexual labor, both paid and unpaid.

Nicola J. Smith is Senior Lecturer in Political Science at the University of Birmingham. Her research focuses on the intersections between queer theory and feminist political economy, and spans topics such as sex work, body politics, austerity, and neoliberal discourse.

• Acknowledgements


• Introduction


• 1. Queer Political Economy


• 2. The Rise of a New Sexual Order


• 3. Sex, Work, and the Victorians


• 4. Buying Love in the Twentieth Century


• 5. Deviant Heterosexuality in Austere Times


• Conclusion


• Notes


• Bibliography


• Index