Sex War-k · GIs and ‘Segnorine’: an Entangled History of Post-war Sex Work (1943-1954)
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2019-12-01 → 2023-03-30
- EU contribution
- €269,003
- Participants
- 2
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
GIs and ‘Segnorine’: an Entangled History of Post-war Sex Work (1943-1954)
Sex War-k aims to conduct a systematic investigation into illegal sex work in a European country during the Allied occupation. Focusing on the relationships between American soldiers (GIs) and Italian illegal prostitutes (the so-called 'segnorine') in 1943-1954, the research action analyses the experience of these women as an icon of the encounters and cultural interconnections between American and Italian societies during the post-WW2 transition. These are the essential questions addressed by the project: - The intersection of gender and racism as a key factor in the pivotal years of post-Fascist democracy; - The transatlantic circulation of ideas and models, with a focus on the intersection of colonial and segregationist stereotypes; - Imaginary borders and national characters. How did Americans look at Italians and Italian women? How did Italians look at their (black) liberators? Prostitution in wartime occupied countries has been studied mainly from a biopolitical perspective. Few studies have considered the history of 'irregular' sex workers as a substantial part of the post-war reworking of national identities. Despite its specificity, the Italian case has been little considered. My analysis adopts a new perspective, consolidating a conceptual framework of prostitution as a mirror of the contradictions of democratic reconstruction. The media clamour, the political debate and even the mob violence related to the relations between the segnorine and the black GIs are a perfect key to understanding the aporias of the new order. The project has three main objectives: (1) to understand some historical roots of discrimination in post-war democracies; (2) to explain how policies on prostitution (mixing control, tolerance and repression) gave new impetus to racist-sexist tropes, derogatory stereotypes and national hostility; (3) to examine the influence of the Cold War in structuring this mainstream narrative of deviance.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
This project is the first attempt to carry out a systematic investigation of illegal sex work in a European country during the Allied occupation, from a perspective of cultural and transnational history. Focusing on the relations between American soldiers (GIs) and Italian prostitutes (the so-called ‘segnorine’) in 1943-1954, up to the settlement of the Trieste question, the research intends to analyze these women’s experience as the image of the cultural encounters and interconnections between US and Italian societies during the post-WWII transition.In Italy, the Allies forbade any relationship between ‘foreign’ GIs and local prostitutes. The growth of an illegal sex market was one of the consequences of this decision. What emerges is that the ‘segnorine’ were treated as a great danger and were often victims of violence especially because of their sexual relations with African Americans. I argue that they played a key-role in the process of national re-building, a role that has not been thoroughly investigated by scholars.The project addresses three core issues:(1) The intertwining of genderization and racialization in the years of post-fascist democracy;(2) The transcontinental circulation of ideas and models, with particular attention to the inter-crossing of sexist and racist discrimination (e.g., postcolonial and segregationist stereotypes);(3) Imaginary frontiers and collective identities. How did Americans look at Italians, and Italian women? How did Italians look at their ‘conquerors’?I will carry out an extensive review of archival and press sources, also pertaining to pop culture. I will conduct personal interviews too. UNIPI and Fordham University are a perfect match for my project, that will result in three journal articles, a book, and a number of training and dissemination activities. The GF would represent an important step in my career, helping me grow into one of the leading European experts in gender, racial, and warfare studies.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- UNIVERSITA DI PISA · PisaCoordinatorItaly
- FORDHAM UNIVERSITY CORP · New YorkUnited States
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union