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Stories About Sex Trafficking in Greece Gender Studies Department of Thematic Studies Linköping University Stories about sex trafficking in Greece -A productive power play- Christina Vrotsou Supervisor: Nina Lykke Gender Studies, LiU Master’s Programme Gender Studies – Intersectionality and Change Master’s thesis 30 ECTS credits ISNR: LIU-TEMA G/GSIC2-A—14/013—SE 2 ABSTRACT The theme of this thesis regards power manifestations in sex trafficking in Greece, through the context of a particular women’s NGO situated in Athens, Greece. The stories that are analysed here are in one way or the other drawn from that NGO context, specifically: the story of the president of the NGO, the story of an activist in that NGO and the story of a woman who has been sex trafficked. What this thesis explores, under a poststructuralist road, influenced by a genealogical approach and inspired by Foucault’s notions of power, is how power can be productive in sex trafficking and the relevant anti-sex trafficking activism. Additionally, using intersectionality as an analytical tool, it explores which social markers are part of that productive play. Situated in crisis Greece, where several issues/problems are intensified, entangled, spread and spilled over in several areas, I find that there is relevance in research concerning how power, in the respective context, can work in productive ways. What is shown through the stories are several contradictions regarding conceptualizations of the role of the police, law, justice, and their relation with rights, religion, ethnicity, race, sex and gender. I treat these contradictions as key illustrators of the productive power play, visualized as a network that entangles different elements and draws its power through their relations. Productive power is seen through corrupt police officers; the accusation of the president of the NGO; through subjects of law, religion and debt; through gender performances; through prolific captivity and so on. What is shown is that the manifestations of power through these stories vary according to the context, but the productive element of power is their joint effect. Key words: Productive power, sex trafficking, genealogical approach, gender, sex, race, ethnicity, religion 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to start by thanking my supervisor, Nina Lykke. Throughout the whole process you have inspired and challenged me in several ways, ways that do not necessarily relate to this thesis. You are the first person I met from the Unit of Gender Studies and you are the one that stood by me in this final project, so I would like to thank you for your ongoing encouragement. I would like to thank the three people that shared their experience and their stories without you, this thesis would not have been possible. Lastly, I would like to thank Hanna Petersson and Katarina Sandström for our multidimensional sessions and your unconventional support. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 7 RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND PURPOSE ........................................................................................... 8 PREVIOUS RESEARCH AND BACKGROUND .................................................................................. 10 RELEVANCE ............................................................................................................................... 18 METHODOLOGY-EPISTEMOLOGY-ETHICS ...................................................................................... 19 SITUATED KNOWLEDGES ............................................................................................................ 20 (ANTI-)METHODOLOGICAL-GENEALOGICAL APPROACH ............................................................. 22 LANGUAGE, POWER AND DISCOURSE ...................................................................................... 24 SEMI-STRUCTURED QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWS ........................................................................... 25 EMPIRICAL MATERIAL AND RESEARCH ETHICS ........................................................................ 26 WHY THESE PARTICULAR STORIES ..................................................................................... 26 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ........................................................................................................... 28 THE POWER WITHIN INTERSECTIONALITY ................................................................................... 28 INTRODUCING NOTIONS OF POWER ............................................................................................ 29 PRODUCTIVE POWER NETWORKS ............................................................................................... 31 STATE POWER ......................................................................................................................... 31 INVESTING THE BODY ............................................................................................................. 32 PERFORMATIVE GENDER ......................................................................................................... 34 BEING - SUBJECT ........................................................................................................................ 35 [BAD] CONSCIENCE ................................................................................................................ 36 THE PAIN WITHIN MNEMONICS ................................................................................................ 37 THE CREDITOR DEBTOR RELATIONSHIP ................................................................................... 38 CONCEPTS OF DEBT .................................................................................................................... 39 5 ANALYSIS- A STORY TOLD THROUGH OTHER STORIES ................................................................... 42 ATHENA’S PROMISE .................................................................................................................... 43 THE NGO THROUGH ATHENA OR ATHENA THROUGH THE NGO ............................................ 46 HESTIA’S PROMISE .................................................................................................................. 49 ATHENA’S STORY ....................................................................................................................... 52 THE “RIGHTFUL” HAND OF THE LAW ....................................................................................... 52 THE GOOD COP-BAD COP AMALGAMATION ............................................................................ 54 HESTIA’S STORIES ...................................................................................................................... 56 CULTURAL ARTIFACTS AND RELIGIOUS INFLUENCES .............................................................. 57 THE EUROPEANS AND THE OTHERS ......................................................................................... 60 SEX TRAFFICKING –THE GORDIAN KNOT ................................................................................ 61 APHRODITE’S STORY .................................................................................................................. 62 THE HAZARDOUS ENVIRONMENT OF “IMPRISONMENT” ........................................................... 63 THE “SERVICES” ................................................................................................................. 64 THE CLIENTS OR THE MARRIED MEN ................................................................................... 65 RAPING IN A NICE WAY ........................................................................................................... 67 RAPE- A SEXUAL CRIME? .................................................................................................... 69 CONCLUDING DISCUSSION OF THE DIFFERENT STORIES ............................................................... 71 CONCLUDING REMARKS ................................................................................................................. 75 SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH ..................................................................................... 76 REFERENCE LIST ............................................................................................................................ 78 APPENDIX ...................................................................................................................................... 85 QUOTES FROM APHRODITE’S INTERVIEW IN ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: GREEK ............................... 85 6 INTRODUCTION How does power operate? Is repression one of its main functions? Repression does not really capture the capacity that power has, it does not capture the significant productive aspect of power (Foucault 1984b). In that light a relevant question is: “If power were never anything but repressive, if it never did anything but to say no, do you really think one would be brought to obey it?” (Foucault 1984b: 61). Ironically, the answer appears to be no. Apart from saying no, power can also say yes, or put differently it has a productive aspect. Foucault urges a view on power that produces: “it produces reality; it produces domains of objects and rituals of truth. The individual and the knowledge that may be gained of him belong to this production” (1995: 194). According to these thoughts, visualizing power as something peripheral applied to individuals would be an artificial view since
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