ABSTRACT
At the centre of this study is the aim to expand conceptualisations of ‘migrant sex work’ and agency in sex work through the prism of collective workspaces and regulation. This chapter begins by analysing constructions of the ‘migrant sex worker’ in sex work research. This is followed by an analysis of how this category has shaped conceptualisations of agency in sex work research, particularly the politicised debates about women’s agency in sex work. One type of space through which worker agency is exercised is examined in particular, specifically collective workspaces, such as brothels and massage shops. I argue that collective workspaces may offer a more productive lens for theorising agency in sex work than identity or social location (as has historically been the case). This chapter concludes by examining another structural context through which worker agency is exercised, namely the contrasting regulatory frameworks that govern the sex work sector in Canada and Australia.
