Researching female sex work: reflections on geographical exclusion, critical methodologies and 'useful' knowledge

Summary Against the backdrop of ongoing debates about the nature of 'critical' geography, this paper considers the importance of intensive, action-oriented and conversational research methodologies in providing a 'Voice' to excluded populations. The distinct contribution of such methods to the understanding of exclusion is illustrated with reference to research on female prostitution, drawing on the author's own experiences as well as those of feminist researchers in health and the social sciences. However, the paper concludes by comparing the emancipatory potential of such qualitative methods with more quantitative approaches, arguing that no one method can be prioritized in the search for 'useful' know.