Social history and some sex: Refl ections on Alicja Urbanik-Kopeć’s book „Chodzić i uśmiechać się wolno każdemu. Praca seksualna w XIX wieku na ziemiach polskich” [You Can Walk and Smile as You Please: Sex Work in the 19th Century in the Polish Lands]

Abstract

The article contains a handful of reflections brought by the reading of the book in question. Dealing with the realities of the late 19th- and early 20thcentury sex work in Poland, its author presents readers with an interesting study in social history. Her book brings ample information on the mentality of society at the time and its approach to matters of marriage and sexual life. It tells a lot about the organisation and forms of operation of charitable institutions which replaced the state in taking care of marginalised people. The study provides a valuable insight into the history of science as well, especially in the parts related to hospitalisation and the treatment of venereal diseases. The way these issues are discussed prompts us to refl ect not only on the intellectual and moral condition of the 19th- and 20th-century society but also on today’s approach to sexual matters.