Essay on the Book: Tricking and Tripping. Prostitution in the Era of AIDS.

Q1. What do you think motivated the author to work with prostitutes?

The author was motivated to work with prostitutes because she was interested in womens health issues, particularly, those that relate to sexual behavior. In this regard, she wanted to tell the story of the prostitutes from their point of view considering that most of them were stigmatized for their profession and blamed for the spread of HIV/AIDS (Sterk, 2000).

Q2. What specific problems were encountered by the author as she negotiated her field setting?

The first challenge that the author experienced was identifying the locations where street prostitution took place. She was, however, assisted by community representatives, bar attenders, and law enforcement officials, among other professionals, in locating them (Sterk, 2000). The second one had to experience the difficult and uncomfortable conditions that the sex workers were exposed to in an attempt to obtain information from them including harassment from both; customers and police, cold weather, and lack of access to a rest room in some instances. Furthermore, developing a trusting relationship with crack prostitutes was quite difficult

Q3. How did the author demonstrate the concept of "cultural relativism"?

Cultural relativism involves respecting other peoples beliefs, values, and practices without comparing them with other cultures. In this case, the writer practiced cultural relativism by cultivating a close relationship with the prostitutes through support and providing practical assistance. For instance, she states that she had to provide child care on numerous occasions, buy groceries, and sometimes listen to stories for hours that were not related to her research questions in an attempt to understand and get close to the women (Sterk, 2000). Additionally, she showed genuine interest in the womens lives and allowed them to tell their stories from their point of view without the fear of being judged. In some occasions, she had to step in and serve as a health educator and a supplier of condoms, vaginal douches, gels, and other feminine products, just to blend in with the women. As a result, she was able to develop a good rapport and gain their trust, thus allowing them to open up and share their stories.

Q4. What happens when Sterk has communication issues with her informants?

Sterk often withheld her opinions and showed empathy whenever she experienced issues with her informants. She would also leave the scene in some instances to avoid more problems and whenever she experienced difficulty in remaining objective. For instance, she never returned to some crack houses because the pimps there wanted her to consider working for them as a prostitute (Sterk, 2000).

Q5. Which of the six themes presented at the end of the article do you feel is the most important?

The six themes presented by the author at the end of the article include; a description of why the participants join prostitution; the difference between the womens prostitution and drug identities; the role of pimps in prostitution; the impact of the AIDS epidemic in prostitutes lives; the abuse and violence commonly encountered by the participants; and the harassment of the women by law enforcement officers (Sterk, 2000). In this regard, the most important theme is the reason why the women join prostitution. In other words, identifying these reasons can help policy makers and public health officials come up with effective initiatives and policies to resolve the problem.

Given Sterks research on prostitution, I would consider doing an ethnographic study on the Native Americans based on the challenges they experience on a daily basis including prejudice and discrimination. Some of the anticipated problems of working with this group include language barrier, harsh climatic conditions, and lack of cooperation from some participants, just to mention (Holkup et al., 2014). Working with this group will, however, allow me to get a glimpse into their lives and tell their story from their point of view.

References

Holkup, P. A., Tripp-Reimer, T., Salois, E. M., & Weinert, C. (2014). Community-based participatory research: an approach to intervention research with a Native American community. ANS. Advances in nursing science, 27(3), 162.

Sterk, C. (2000). Tricking and tripping. Prostitution in the era of AIDS.