UCLA

This work explores the intersection of capitalism, nationhood, and female sexuality in late 19th and early 20th century Argentine discourses of prostitution. It traces how the female labor force in the first wave of industrialization, specifically how sexual labor, underlines male state insecurities at the turn of the century. It analyzes how cultural texts create narratives that dialogue with and contribute to the dehumanizing cultural imaginary surrounding the prostitute. Finally, it proposes a counternarrative using the life of Raquel Liberman as a contradiction to that cultural imaginary.