ABSTRACT
This chapter attempts to situate the debates in the historical background of discussions about sex work and points at the need to comprehend life narratives of Nalini Jameela from specific cultural reference points rather than trying to find instances that can be fixed into the overarching moulds of the 'victim/agency' dyad, as this immediacy could foreclose the possibilities of seeing other nuances. It foregrounds the importance of understanding womanhood differently for women from diverse backgrounds, as it is essential to analyse the forms of subordination rather than trying to look at them with the tools of universal frameworks. The chapter also explains the complexities through which Jameela proposes a congealed political stand — be it about sex work or family. The criminalization of prostitution and the denial of basic civil rights to sex workers is a significant factor in the perpetuation of a whole set of practices which amount to sexual slavery.
