Journal of Business and Technical Communication Jan 2022

Sex Work and Professional Risk Communication: Keeping Safe on the Streets

Cana Uluak Itchuaqiyaq Virginia Tech ; Avery C. Edenfield Utah State University ; Keith Grant-Davie Utah State University

Abstract

Risk communication is traditionally authored by institutions and addressed to the potentially affected publics for whom they are responsible. This study expands the scope of risk communication by analyzing safety guides produced by a hypermarginalized group for whom institutions show no responsibility: full-contact, street-level sex workers. Using corpus-assisted discourse analysis and keyword analysis to reveal patterns of word choices, the authors argue that the safety guides exhibit characteristics and qualities of professional communication: audience adaptation, social responsibility, and ethical awareness. This area of inquiry—the DIY, peer-to-peer, extrainstitutional risk communication produced by marginalized people—widens technical and professional communication's approach to risk communication.

Journal
Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Published
2022-01-01
DOI
10.1177/10506519211044190
Open Access
Closed
Topics
discourse analysis writing across the curriculum professional writing affect and writing

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (8)

  1. Jordan et al. (2025)
    Queer Potential in Professional Communication: “Queer Use” & Terms of Service
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. Baniya (2025)
    Intersectional Disaster Response in the Globalized World Via Equitable Crisis C…
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  3. Randazzo (2024)
    The Exclusionary Potential of “Professionalism” in Hiring Situations
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  4. Gelms et al. (2024)
    (Re)defining “Professional” in Technical & Professional Communication
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  5. Hsiao (2024)
    Professional Critical Consciousness: Bridging Classroom Theory with Workplace P…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
Show all 8 →
  1. Madson (2024)
    Cannabis Risk Communication: A Scoping Review with a Research Agenda
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. Pflugfelder et al. (2023)
    Expanding the Scope and Scale of Risk in TPC: Water Access and the Colorado Riv…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  3. Welhausen (2023)
    Wicked Problems in Risk Assessment: Mapping Yellow Fever and Constructing Risk …
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication

Cites in this index (26)

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    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  2. Shelton (2020)
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    Technical Communication Quarterly
  3. Edenfield et al. (2019)
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    Technical Communication Quarterly
  4. Acharya (2019)
    Usability for Social Justice: Exploring the Implementation of Localization Usab…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  5. Cox (2019)
    Working Closets: Mapping Queer Professional Discourses and Why Professional Com…
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
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  1. Carradini (2018)
    An Organizational Structure of Indie Rock Musicians as Displayed by Facebook Usage
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  2. Colton et al. (2017)
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    Technical Communication Quarterly
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    Technical Communication Quarterly
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    Values and Validity: Navigating Messiness in a Community-Based Research Project…
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    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
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    Technical Communication Quarterly
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    Oral Communication and Technical Writing: A Reconsideration of Writing in a Mul…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
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    The Triumph of Users: Achieving Cultural Usability Goals With User Localization
    Technical Communication Quarterly
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    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
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    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
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Also cites 26 works outside this index ↓
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CrossRef global citation count: 17 View in citation network →

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