Talking Research

Dr. Holly Davis is a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow. She received her phD in Sociology from the University of Edinburgh for her research exploring the experiences of pimps involved in illegal prostitution in the United States. She has also worked directly and in various capacities with sex workers, sex trafficking victims, domestic and sexual violence survivors, violent male offenders and male sex offenders. She has convened and delivered the course The Sociology of Sex Work in the department of Sociology at the University of Edinburgh. In this conversation, Holly explained the general academia on sex work, challenges to research on sex work, the gendered nature of sexual violence faced by sex workers. We touched on themes of victim blaming and her study of pimps. We also discussed the challenges and the emotional toll of sex work research on the researcher.

Holly's research:

Davis, H. (2017) “Pimp Desistance: The End Game” in Pimps in Situ. 2017.(eds) Marcus, A & Horning, A. Springer Publishing.
Davis, H. (2013) “Defining ‘Pimp’: Working Towards a Definition in Social Research” Sociological Research Online. Vol 18:1. http://www.socresonline.org.uk/18/1/11.html

Trigger Warning: This conversation features mention of rape, sexual-assault and violence.

Show Notes

Dr. Holly Davis received her phD in Sociology from the University of Edinburgh for her research exploring the experiences of pimps involved in illegal prostitution in the United States. She has also worked directly and in various capacities with sex workers, sex trafficking victims, domestic and sexual violence survivors, violent male offenders and male sex offenders. She has convened and delivered the course The Sociology of Sex Work in the department of Sociology at the University of Edinburgh. In this conversation, Holly explained the general academia on sex work, challenges to research on sex work, the gendered nature of sexual violence faced by sex workers. We touched on themes of victim blaming and her study of pimps. We also discussed the challenges and the emotional toll of sex work research on the researcher. 

Holly's research: 

  • Davis, H. (2017) “Pimp Desistance: The End Game” in Pimps in Situ. 2017.(eds) Marcus, A  & Horning, A. Springer Publishing.
  • Davis, H. (2013) “Defining ‘Pimp’: Working Towards a Definition in Social Research” Sociological Research Online. Vol 18:1. http://www.socresonline.org.uk/18/1/11.html



What is Talking Research?

Talking Research features in-depth interviews with prominent academics and researchers who study sexual violence across disciplines. The aim is to make academic knowledge and research on sexual violence accessible. Every other Wednesday, guests talk about their research, their findings, the process, the challenges and everything else in between.

talkingresearchpodcast@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/talkingresearch https://twitter.com/talk_research

Organisations that provide support:

India: https://yourstory.com/2016/04/women-helpline-india
Scotland: https://www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk/
England & Wales: https://rapecrisis.org.uk/
USA: https://www.rainn.org/
Australia: https://www.rape-dvservices.org.au/

Credits:
Logo- Raghvi Bhatia
Music- Madhav Narayan

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