Ye'ela Lahav-Raz

Senior Academic

“Hunting on the Streets”

Masculine Repertoires Among Israeli Clients of Street-Based Sex Work

In this article, I discuss the unique masculine repertoire of Israeli clients of street-based sex work. In doing so, I aim to reveal the deep meaning of sex consumption on the street while reflecting on the way in which universal and local masculine repertoires are negotiated and contested. Based on a discourse analysis of online sexual reports, the article focuses on clients’ metaphoric language of themselves as hunters when describing sexual encounters on the street, arguing that the hunting metaphor has become a channel through which a community of “warriors” has been built. The sexual script of the hunter is a mixture of intersecting characteristics from the universal dominant repertoire of hegemonic, heteronormative hyper-masculinity with characteristics from the two Israeli masculine hegemonic repertoires: the combat soldier and the Halutz (pioneer). The sexual script of the hunter thus functions as a platform on which other relations of power, especially between men themselves, are played out and contested.

Publication language English
Pages 230-247
Volume 24
Issue number 1
Publication status Published - 01.02.2020

Keywords

Clients
Hegemonic masculinity
Israeli society
Masculinity
Online communities
Street-based sex work

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Gender Studies
Cultural Studies

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 5 - Gender Equality
Access to Document
10.1007/s12119-019-09636-0
Other files and links
Link to publication in Scopus