SHELTERED LIVES God, Sex, and Mobility in Nigeria's Counter Trafficking Programs by St
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SHELTERED LIVES God, Sex, and Mobility in Nigeria’s Counter Trafficking Programs By Stacey Vanderhurst B.A University of Notre Dame, 2007 A.M. Brown University, 2009 A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Anthropology at Brown University Providence, Rhode Island May 2014 © 2014 Stacey Leigh Vanderhurst This dissertation by Stacey Leigh Vanderhurst is accepted in its present form by the Department of Anthropology as satisfying the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Date ________ _____________________________ Daniel Jordan Smith, Advisor Recommended to the Graduate Council Date ________ _____________________________ Kay B. Warren, Reader Date ________ _____________________________ Catherine Lutz, Reader Date ________ _____________________________ Victoria Bernal, Reader Approved by the Graduate Council Date ________ _____________________________ Peter M. Weber, Dean of the Graduate School iii STACEY VANDERHURST Department of Anthropology Brown University—BoX 1921 Providence, RI 02912 USA [email protected] EDUCATION 2014 Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island Ph.D. in Anthropology Sheltered Lives: God, Sex, and Mobility in Nigeria’s Counter-Trafficking Programs Daniel Jordan Smith (chair), Kay B. Warren, and Catherine Lutz 2009 Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island M.A. in Anthropology ‘Image is Everything’: Transnational Governance and the Nigerian Reputation Daniel Jordan Smith (chair), Kay B. Warren, and Catherine Lutz 2007 University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana B.A., magna cum laude, with double major in Anthropology and International Peace Studies and minor in the Arts & Letters Honors Program Identity in Refuge: The Individual Experiences of Asylum Seekers in Ireland Susan B. Blum 2005-2006 Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland Visiting Student, Departments of Sociology and Politics PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS 2014-2015 Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana Center for Law, Culture, and Society, Maurer School of Law Jerome Hall Postdoctoral Fellow HONORS & AWARDS 2013 AFA Dissertation Award (declined) “Sheltered Lives: God, Sex and Mobility in Nigeria’s Counter-Trafficking Programs,” Association for Feminist Anthropology 2013 APLA Graduate Student Paper Prize “God Rescued You: Divine Intervention & Sovereign Power in Nigeria’s Counter- Trafficking Programs,” Association for Political and Legal Anthropology 2013 Watson Smith Award for Best Student Research Paper “God Rescued You: Divine Intervention & Sovereign Power in Nigeria’s Counter- Trafficking Programs,” Department of Anthropology, Brown University iv GRANTS & FELLOWSHIPS 2013 Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowship American Council of Learned Societies 2013 International Affairs Travel Fund Grant Office of International Affairs, Brown University 2011 Writing Fellowship Department of Anthropology, Brown University 2010 NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant Programs in Cultural Anthropology and Law & Social Sciences, National Science Foundation 2010 SSRC International Dissertation Research Fellowship Social Science Research Council 2010 Wenner-Gren Dissertation Fieldwork Grant Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research 2009 Graduate Program in Development Summer Fellowship Watson Institute for International Studies, Brown University 2008, 2009 Travel and Research Grant Population Studies Training Center, Brown University 2008, 2009 Summer Fellowship Graduate School, Brown University 2008, 2009 Eunice Kennedy Shriver NICHD Pre-Doctoral Fellowship Population Studies & Training Center, Brown University 2007-2013 Doctoral Fellowship Graduate School, Brown University TEACHING EXPERIENCE 2013 Instructor, Ethnographies of Global Connection Department of Anthropology and Program in International Relations, Brown University 2012 Teaching Assistant, Anthropology & Global Social Problems Department of Anthropology and Program in International Relations, Brown University 2009 Teaching Assistant, Human Trafficking, Transnationalism & the Law Department of Anthropology, Brown University 2009 Teaching Assistant, Africa in Transnational Perspective Department of Anthropology, Brown University 2008 Teaching Assistant, War & Society Department of Anthropology and Program in International Relations, Brown University v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In Nigeria, most given native names have a literal meaning. My Yoruba name, Aduke (ah-doo-kay), was bestowed on me by friends wearing matching aso- ebi cloth and headties at a big funeral party one Friday afternoon. Everyone laughed when it was suggested, arguing over its exact meaning but all agreeing it was perfect. Some said it meant beloved, others said spoiled. It is the one people love to look after, they finally decided. And I had to admit, it was true. This dissertation has been made possible by the kindness and generosity of too many people to count. First and foremost, that includes everyone who sup- ported me in Nigeria, especially the women whose stories are featured in these pages. While I can not mention them by name, this project would have been im- possible without their patience, candor, and good humor in the midst of such dire circumstances. By the same token, I have immense appreciation and respect to- ward the NAPTIP organization for welcoming me into the shelter, and to the en- tire Lagos counseling team for making my visits there so remarkably at ease. I hope both of these groups see themselves in what follows. Outside the shelter, an equally adept team of women took great care to show me Nigeria from their eyes. I would like to extend special gratitude my friends and neighbors at the student hostel, especially Chichi Okoye. Adeola Olun- loyo, Misan Rewane, Yetunde Becks-Dada, Benjamin Anyaegbunam, Kenneth Asamoah, Benjamin Idowu and all of the Agoha family also took me in to their hearts and homes. Mike Kunnuji and Igwe Igwe at the University of Lagos offered crucial logistical support as I settled into Lagos. A magnificent network of American expatriates provided great respite in such a wild city and time in my life, as well. Kristiann and Graham Gips, Keri Lesniak Solon, and Kurt Solon each saved me more than once, in more ways than they could have known. Katie Rhine literally ushered me into this world and remains a treasured mentor and fellow Naijaphile adventurer. She taught me not only how to live in Nigeria but how to love Nigeria, and for that I am eternally grateful. My entering cohortmates at Brown—Susan Ellison, Sohini Kar, Láura Vares, Caitlin Walker, Co- lin Porter, and James Doyle—are also just such beautiful people. I thank all of them for Tyra Banks and wheat-crust pizza and so, so much grant writing. They continue to remind me what it can mean to pursue meaning and joy in the mess of this all. Those who joined us along the way made the journey especially pleasant, especially Andrea Flores, Inna Leykin, Yağmur Nuhrat, Kathleen Millar, Casey Messick, Jennifer Ashley, Harris Solomon, Chelsea Cormier-Swiggin, Katharine Marsh, and everyone else who trudged over to Abe’s in the rain. vi I am likewise indebted to the uncommonly kind team of faculty and staff in the anthropology department. Dan Smith was a rock of good faith and good sense amidst the throes of graduate school, usefully critical and confident in equal doses. Catherine Lutz provided consistently close readings of both my academic writing and professional materials, and conversations with Kay Warren always pushed me to see this project in new ways. Victoria Bernal provided especially thoughtful and timely feedback, initiating what I hope are further discussions to come. Bianca Dahl, Jessaca Leinaweaver, Paja Faudree, and Marida Hollos offered tremendous encouragement and feedback throughout my graduate training as well. All dead- lines were made by attainable with the administrative and magic wanding support from Katherine Grimaldi, who continues to check up on her students even in re- tirement. Special thanks are also due to Mariesa DelSoto, Matilde Andrade, and Marjorie Sugrue for accommodating this gypsy student’s requests across great dis- tances. They all join a line of remarkable educators I have enjoyed since childhood, and I thank David Richmond in particular for still asking what I’m giving in return. Fieldwork supporting this research was generously funded by an Interna- tional Dissertation Research Fellowship from the Social Science Research Council, by a Dissertation Fieldwork Grant from the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthro- pological Research, and by a Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant from the National Science Foundation, jointly sponsored by the programs in Anthropology and Law and Society. A postfield workshop sponsored by the SSRC cultivated scholarly friendships I cherish today, especially those with Jatin Dua and Will Thomson. Other trips to Nigeria were subsidized by the Brown Graduate School, Population Studies and Training Center, the Graduate Program in Development, and the Office of International Affairs. My final year of writing was supported by a Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowship, and by the couches and fridges of loved ones, who helped me spend my last year as a student galavanting across the country in style. As it turns out, I really can write from anywhere. As for my wild, wonderful family, I am grateful to all aunts, uncles, cousins, and step variations thereof, most especially Kevin, Laura, and baby Ellie Santora, for never letting me take myself too seriously.