Teaching About A Sex Work Community in India: Toward A Postcolonial Pedagogy

Abstract

Scholars have questioned the validity of universal social work values and the manner in which international welfare interventions manage basic needs without affecting structural change. This article examines a class on engaging with sex workers in India that was informed by the critiques of normative international welfare engagement. The analysis drew on qualitative interviews with 18 participants, students’ written responses, and the instructor's field notes. Results indicate that structural factors, the class material, and the class format helped students immerse themselves in community life, challenge preconceptions about the community, validate beliefs and ideologies that emerged out of the lived experience of sex workers, and engage in social change. Implications for international social work education and pedagogy are discussed.