Ronald Weitzer
Title — Professor of Sociology
Office — Phillips 409 D
Phone — 202-994-6895
E-mail — weitzer@gwu.edu
Current Research
Current research includes a comparative study of legal, red-light districts in Europe.
Background
Ronald Weitzer received his PhD in sociology from the University of California, Berkeley in 1985 and has been at George Washington University since 1988. He is a criminologist, and much of his research has investigated police-minority relations in the United States and in other nations (including Northern Ireland and South Africa). He is also an expert on the sex industry, with particular expertise on American policies and law enforcement on prostitution and sex trafficking. A recently completed project involved extensive field research on legal prostitution systems in Europe. For additional information, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Weitzer
Publications
2012. Legalizing Prostitution: From Illicit Vice to Lawful Business, New York University Press: http://nyupress.org/books/book-details.aspx?bookId=4846. Recent reviews:
Publishers Weekly: "Weitzer provides an erudite overview of sex work and detailed case studies of three cities with red-light districts: Antwerp, Belgium; Frankfurt, Germany; and Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Prostitution, Weitzer convincingly declares, ‘can be organized in a way that is superior to blanket criminalization and marginalization’.”
Salon.com: "One of the more intelligent, measured, and comprehensive looks at alternatives to criminalizing the [prostitution] trade."
Urban Times: "[This book] offers an authoritative and scholarly glance into the subject of prostitution. Weitzer manages to address the politics of prostitution without delving deep enough into the morality of the issue to confuse the subject. I recommend it to anyone interested in the topic of sex work."
Library Journal: "While there are other recent books on prostitution policy, Weitzer’s book combines cogent ideas with interesting original research material.... Verdict: A valuable book for criminal justice policymakers and for serious students of prostitution and crime."
2012. "The Intimacy Prism: Emotion Management Among the Clients of Escorts," Men and Masculinities, v. 15: 447-467 (with Christine Milrod).
2011. "Sex Trafficking and the Sex Industry: The Need for Evidence-Based Theory and Legislation," Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology, v. 101: 1337-1370
2011. "Pornography's Effects: The Need for Solid Evidence." Violence Against Women v. 17: 666-675
2010. Sex for Sale: Prostitution, Pornography, and the Sex Industry, 2nd Edition, New York: Routledge: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415996051/
Sex for Sale contains original studies (new to the 2nd Edition) on sex work, its risks and benefits, and its political implications. Examines gay and lesbian pornography, telephone sex workers, customers of prostitutes, male and female escorts, street prostitution, sex tourism, legal prostitution, and strip clubs that cater to women. The book also tracks trends during the past decade, including the "mainstreaming" and growing acceptance of some types of sexual commerce and the growing criminalization of other types, such as sex trafficking. Together, the chapters document the rich variation, nuances, and complexities in the exchange of sexual services, performances, and products.
2010. “The Mythology of Prostitution: Advocacy Research and Public Policy,” Sexuality Research and Social Policy, v.7: 15-29.
2010. “The Movement to Criminalize Sex Work in the United States,” Journal of Law and Society, v.37: 61-84.
2010. “The Ethnography of Prostitution: New International Perspectives,” Contemporary Sociology, v. 39: 262-269.
2010. “Rap Music’s Violent and Misogynistic Effects: Fact or Fiction?” in Sociology of Crime, Law, and Deviance, vol. 14, (ed.) M. DeFlem, Emerald/JAI Press (with Charis Kubrin).
2009. "Sociology of Sex Work," Annual Review of Sociology, v. 35: 213-234.
2009. “Misogyny in Rap Music: A Content Analysis of Prevalence and Meanings,” Men & Masculinities, v. 12: 3-29 (with Charis Kubrin).
2009. "Police Relations with Black and White Youths in Different Urban Neighborhoods," Urban Affairs Review, v. 44: 858-885 (with Rod Brunson).
2009. "Strategic Responses to the Police among Inner-City Youth," Sociological Quarterly, v. 50: 235-256 (with Rod Brunson).
2009. "Legalizing Prostitution: Morality Politics in Western Australia," British Journal of Criminology, v. 49: 88-105.
2008. "Police-Community Relations in a Majority-Black City," Journal of Research in Crime & Delinquency, v. 45: 398-428 (with Steven Tuch and Wesley Skogan).
2007. "Prostitution: Facts and Fictions," Contexts, 6 (Fall).
2007. "Police Relations with Arabs and Jews in Israel," British Journal of Criminology, v. 47 (September): 728-745 (with Badi Hasisi).
2007. "The Social Construction of Sex Trafficking: Ideology and Institutionalization of a Moral Crusade," Politics & Society, v. 35: 447-475.
2006. Race and Policing in America: Conflict and Reform. Cambridge University Press (with Steven Tuch). Examines police relations with whites, blacks, and Hispanics in the United States, focusing on issues of police misconduct, racially biased policing, and reforms that might improve policing and enhance public confidence in the police. Research for the book was funded by a grant from the National Institute of Justice.
2005. "Can the Police Be Reformed?" Contexts, v. 4 (Summer).
Classes Taught
SOC 1003: Introduction to Criminal Justice
SOC 2111: Field Research
SOC 2178: Deviance and Control
SOC 2192: Advanced Seminar in Criminal Justice
SOC 6232: Qualitative Methodology: Doing Field Research
SOC 6246: Comparative Race and Ethnicity
SOC 6258: Deviance and Control
SOC 6259: Criminology
SOC 6273: The Sex Industry