Biases in the History of Sex Work in the Chilean Nitrate Pampa: Critical Contributions from Labour History for the Case of Pampa Unión in the Early Twentieth Century

Abstract

This article analyses the biases present in historiography on sex work in the Chilean nitrate pampa, focusing on sex workers in Pampa Unión in the early twentieth century. Drawing on a critique of previous studies, it identifies ontological, epistemological, methodological and axiological prejudices that perpetuate stigmatising narratives. Employing approaches from labour history, the text proposes revaluing these workers as economic and social subjects, recognising their strategies of resistance and adaptation in a hostile environment. It highlights the need to incorporate subaltern voices for a more adequate understanding of the history of nitrate in Chile. The findings underscore how these women's experiences reflect dynamics of gender, class and resistance in the context of extractive capitalism.