Sex Work in Colonial Cairo, 1882-1952
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View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by LSE Theses Online The London School of Economics and Political Science “Let Down the Curtains Around Us” Sex Work in Colonial Cairo, 1882-1952 Francesca Biancani [email protected] A thesis submitted to the Department of Government of the London School of Economics and Political Science for the Degree of Doctor in Philosophy, London, 2012 1 Declaration I certify that the thesis I have presented for examination for the MPhil/PhD degree of the London School of Economics and Political Science is solely my own work other than where I have clearly indicated that it is the work of others. The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. Quotation from it is permitted, provided that full acknowledgement is made. This thesis may not be reproduced without the prior written consent from the author. I warrant that this authorization does not, to the best of my belief, infringe the rights of any third party. Please note that I translated all quotations from foreign languages. I am therefore the sole responsible for any mistake. 2 Abstract The shift from pre-modern to modern sex work meant the “professionalization” of transactional sex, its commodification and the attending social stigmatization of the essentialized category of prostitutes as “public women”. This dissertation explores the construction of social marginality of sex workers in colonial Cairo (1882-1952), in the context of major economical and social changes and the development of dramatically new concepts about the scope of intervention of the State on society. The quantitative and qualitative change in sex work which took place in Cairo since the end of the nineteenth century was made possible by a number of structural factors such as the integration of Egypt in the global market in a subaltern position, the restructuring of autonomous households’ economy, the augmented economic social vulnerability of female economic roles in the job market, migration and rapid urban growth. At the same time, the new social meaning of prostitution, a permanent symbolic threat to the physical and moral welfare of the rising Egyptian nation, was discursively constructed by dominant positions, both by local and colonial elites. Prostitutes were used as dense referent to express a wide range of dominant anxieties about the social order, the definition of normative notions of Egyptian citizenship and colonial racial hierarchies. Positing the inextricable link between material and discursive formations, this study analyzes the political economy of sex work and combines a wide range of sources – governmental reports, reformist societies’ papers, court cases, coeval press and semi-academic literature – to explore a space of subaltern and gendered agency which has been overlooked for long and endeavours to restore prostitution, generally considered as a marginal activity, to the history of the Egyptian nation. 3 Acknowledgments I am very pleased to acknowledge and express my deepest gratitude to those who helped me in many ways in the course of my doctoral research. I thank my Ph. D. supervisor, Dr. John Chalcraft, for believing in this project, encouraging me through the various stages of writing, carefully reading, editing and offering insightful critique on a number of drafts of this thesis. It was a privilege to work with such a talented scholar, whose analytical acumen and intellectual rigor have constituted a powerful inspiration and will do so in the years to come. I would like to extend my thanks to my advisor, Dr Sharad Chari, for taking the time to read and thoughtfully comment on several chapters of this work, for his friendship and constant encouragement. Of course, neither of them should be blamed for any inconsistency or error in the thesis that follows, as I am to be considered the sole responsible of any shortcoming. This thesis was made possible thanks to the generous financial help from a number of institutions I would like to take the chance to acknowledge here: the London School of Economics, the University of London Central Research Fund and the Gibb Memorial Trust. I had the chance to present parts of my research at various international meetings, including the LSE Government Department First Year Graduate Seminar, the BRISMES Graduate Conference, and the Middle Eastern Society Association Annual Meetings in 2007 and 2009, where I received precious feedbacks from colleagues and participants. Archival research for this project has been conducted at various institutions and across three countries, the UK, Egypt and Italy. In England I would like to thank the staff of the National Archives in Kew for their help. Generous assistance has been offered also by the staff of the Women’s Library in London. I am indebted to Prof. Joel Beinin who welcomed me as fellow at the Institute of Middle Eastern Studies of the American University in Cairo and provided institutional support during my field- work in Egypt. I also take the opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to Dr. Khaled Fahmy who endorsed my application to the National Archives in Cairo and made the whole process as quick and smooth as possible. The assistance given by the staff of the National Archives in Cairo, especially by Mrs Nadia and Mrs Nagwa has been priceless. My thanks also go the staff of the Archivio Centrale di Stato in Rome. I owe a particular debt to the keepers of the Historical Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rome for helping me in locating a whole collection of long-forgotten and virtually untapped consular records. In the course of my research I had the chance to discuss my work and receive comments and precious practical help by a number of people. The list is long and justice cannot be done to all here. Dr. Himad Hilal and Dr. Jennifer Derr shared their thorough knowledge of the Egyptians Archive, Dr Liat Kozma and Dr Mario M. Ruiz discussed their common research interests giving me valuable insights. My gratitude goes to all my friends, colleagues at the London School of Economics and at the University of Bologna, whose support has helped me in so 4 many ways at times when the end of this work seemed very distant: my dearest friend Amelie Barras, Jasmine Gani, Marcella Emiliani, Enrico De Angelis, Adil Radoini, Shahrazade el-Far, Martino Lovato, Giulia Sudano, Michela Merighi. My family has provided me with constant support and encouragement all the way through this work. Endless thanks go to my sister Carlotta, whose help has been fundamental in preparing the last draft of this work. My mother Danila Ottani has been a powerful source of inspiration, teaching me the importance of cultivating one’s own interest and cultural curiosity. This work is dedicated to the memory of my beloved father Gianni Biancani. 5 Acronyms AIF: Australian Imperial Forces ANZACs: Australian and New Zealanders Army Corps AMSH: Association for Moral and Social Hygiene EFU:Egyptian Feminist Union IAF: International Alliance for Women Suffrage IBS: International Bureau for the Suppression of the Traffic in Women and Children LNA: Ladies’ National Association NVA: National Vigilance Association 6 List of Contents Declaration ...................................................................................................................2 Abstract ........................................................................................................................3 Acknowledgments........................................................................................................4 Acronyms .....................................................................................................................6 List of Contents ............................................................................................................7 1 Introduction .............................................................................................................10 1.1 The Scholarly Trajectory..................................................................................13 1.2 Hegemony and Resistance in Post-modernist Thinking: Unpacking the Concept of Marginality ..........................................................................................18 1.3 Studies on Prostitution: a Critical Assessment.................................................27 1.4 Bio-politics, Prostitution and Nationalism.......................................................37 1.5 Scope and Structure of the Work .....................................................................44 2 Pre-colonial Sex Work ............................................................................................49 2.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................49 2.2 Ghawazi, ‘Awalim and Sex Workers...............................................................54 2.3 The French Expedition of 1798-1801: Beginnings of Supervision..................59 2.4 Prostitution under Muhammad ‘Ali: The 1834 Ban.........................................63 2.5 Conclusions ......................................................................................................68 3 In a Changing City ..................................................................................................70 3.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................70 3.2 Urban Change, Gender and Labour in Colonial Cairo.....................................72