A Storyville Education

Abstract

Storyville, the legalized red-light district of New Orleans (1897Orleans ( -1917, was a designated space containing informal opportunities for learning in which its residents practiced the sex trade. Although Storyville was created to regulate prostitution, prostitutes and madams learned the city's legal system, politics, and economics to survive in a socially constructed space. Using primary and secondary sources and informed by theory, including informal learning, spatial production, and critical and feminist geography, this study explores the adult learning that took place in Storyville.

History as Method or Does Chronology Count?

“…Historians of adult education have not generally borrowed or added to theory, although this may be changing. Platt and Hill (2014) make interesting use of geographic spacing in their study of prostitution in New Orleans. In general, however, most historians have focused on telling some aspect of the story of adult education, focusing on who is left out and who is included.…”

“…These were supplemented by papers in the National University Continuing Education Association (NUCEA) collection at Syracuse University and journal articles from the time period covered. Finally, Platt and Hill (2014) utilized an interesting array of sources in their study of the Red Light District in New Orleans. They used printed sources such as city directories and newspapers as well as the arrest records for the City of New Orleans.…”