Community-Driven Research Project on Prostitution in North Minneapolis: Methods and Learnings

Abstract

This paper will explore the practices of collaborative, community-based and social change-driven research on prostitution conducted in North Minneapolis. In 2005 I was asked by a group of community stakeholders who were not involved in prostitution to ‘look into’ prostitution on the “northside” of Minneapolis – a young and diverse area with high poverty, crime, and disinvestment. Prostitution was seen as a large and detrimental issue and many people were fed up and pissed off. But they knew little of prostitution from the perspective of people involved in prostitution. Law enforcement information was readily available; but the voices of people with experience trading or selling sex were hidden. To remedy this imbalance, raise awareness and build community consensus, the majority of the research project was geared to gathering relevant and actionable information from people with experience trading sex. The project goal – a point of consensus between ALL the stakeholders – was to reduce the negative impact of prostitution. For three years I gathered data from a wide variety of stakeholders, conducted 31 months of ethnographic fieldwork, and surveyed and interviewed 157 people who sell sex in the community. I believe our project ethos of “connection”, which is different from most academic research, was critical for our success. The presentation will describe the research process and some of its results; including the critical design role played by people with prostitution experience.

Lauren Martin, PhD, Research Associate
University: University of Minnesota, Center for Early Education and Development
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Title of Presentation: Community-Driven Research Project on Prostitution in North Minneapolis: Methods and Learnings