Harris's thoroughly researched and carefully argued case studies present a cohesive and compelling argument about how rhetorics of race, gender, and mobility have been deployed to shore up a white supremacist version of US national identity. This important research lends insight not only into historical discourses about womanhood and sexual exploitation; the book also outlines troubling themes and strategies that often are present in contemporary anti-trafficking rhetoric. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding how gendered exploitation is strategically and cynically used to perpetuate oppressive power structures. --Karrin Vasby Anderson, professor of communication studies, Colorado State University, and coauthor of Woman President: Confronting Postfeminist Political Culture.
The Rhetoric of White Slavery and the Making of National Identity