2011 Jessica R. Anderson Hughes ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

309 Pages·2011·2.59 MB·English

by  Jessica Anderson Hughes

©2011

Jessica R. Anderson Hughes
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
FORCED PROSTITUTION: THE COMPETING AND CONTESTED USES OF THE
CONCENTRATION CAMP BROTHEL
by
JESSICA R. ANDERSON HUGHES
A Dissertation submitted to the
Graduate School-New Brunswick
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
Graduate Program in History
written under the direction of
Professor Belinda Davis
and approved by
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________

New Brunswick, New Jersey
May 2011
ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION
FORCED PROSTITUTION: THE COMPETING AND CONTESTED USES OF THE
CONCENTRATION CAMP BROTHEL
By
JESSICA R. ANDERSON HUGHES

Dissertation Director:
Professor Belinda Davis

This dissertation enhances and complicates the history of Nazi racial and sexual policies
by examining the quotidian politics of ten brothels staffed by and for prisoners that
operated in concentration camps in Germany and its occupied territories. Instituted in
1941 under the command of Heinrich Himmler with the goal of providing rewards for
diligent labor among “prominent” male camp prisoners, the brothels constituted a unique
space in which competing Nazi ideologies of race, power, and sex collided. This
dissertation not only explores how the brothels functioned as part of a Nazi-inspired labor
incentive program for “prominent” prisoners, but also reveals their unannounced
functions, such as serving as laboratories of sexual experimentation for the “re-
education” of homosexual prisoners. It shows too how prisoners instrumentalized sex
and sexuality to their advantage. Although the majority of women and some men could
not choose their level of participation in the brothel, in many instances they were able to
use their time in the brothel to their advantage. For some female prisoners forced into
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prostitution and for male prisoners earning the privilege of brothel visits, sexual activity
inside the brothel provided brief moments of intimacy within the dehumanizing
atmosphere of the camps. Sexual activity behind the brothel doors thus became a
reaffirmation of humanity for certain prisoners and a pivotal element of their survival
strategy. This history of the brothels makes three crucial interventions. The first is a
reconceptualization of the choices made by women forced into prostitution by
problematizing concepts like “volunteerism” and “prostitute” in this setting, this study
makes plain the circumstances surrounding the agency of these women. The second is to
complicate and add to the literature on the “gray zone” and notions of “cooperation”
under Nazi rule. The third is to provide a nuanced, detailed analysis of the functioning of
sex, race, and power in Nazi Germany. This research transforms and adds to our
understanding of the role of sex in Nazi policy. Despite the regime’s desire to harness
sexuality, it proved that even in a closely controlled atmosphere, to be beyond the state’s
control.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I have been mentally writing my acknowledgments for longer than I care to admit,
so it is with a great sense of accomplishment that I finally see these words in print. This
dissertation would not have been possible without my generous funding from Rutgers
University, the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, and the American Association
of University Women. Particular thanks go to the United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum for including me on the research expedition to the Red Cross International
Tracing Services Archive in Bad Arolsen, Germany in 2008. The work I accomplished
there is found on nearly every page of this dissertation.
I am grateful to the faculty and staff in the history department at Rutgers, my
academic home throughout my Ph.D. journey. Special thanks to the irreplaceable Dawn
Ruskai who has helped me navigate through the redtape and roadblocks at Rutgers both
while in residence and away. I thank my dissertation committee whose support and
varied perspectives have shaped this project. Bonnie Smith’s insightful comments have
helped me widen my perspective of histories of sexuality. She continues to inspire me to
clarify and make bold claims. Paul Hanebrink has consistently provided me with
concrete suggestions for furthering my work and I was lucky to work closely with him
over the years, gaining invaluable insight into teaching. Atina Grossmann’s excellent
comments and thought-provoking questions have been critical to the final revisions of
this dissertation. I thank Belinda Davis for advising this project and for her simultaneous
support and insistence on greater analysis and clarity in my work.
I have been fortunate to be surrounded by so many fantastically intelligent, smart,
and witty people during my tenure as a graduate student. I first thank my dear friend and
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unofficial mentor, Dorothee Brantz, for sharing her enthusiasm for German history with a
young and clueless former field hockey player. Louisa Rice and Carmen Khair are not
only excellent historians, but friends who were quick to laugh and always eager for
adventure. Rebecca Scales spent countless hours on the phone with me as both a
soundboard and a cheerleader through the heartbreaks and successes of this project. I am
so grateful for our friendship.
I thank my fellow Rutgers Germanists, Jennifer Miller, Laurie Marhoefer, and
Carla MacDougall, for being the funniest and most fun-loving group of historians
imaginable. I am grateful to Laurie Marhoefer’s characteristic good cheer and
willingness to read endless drafts of my work and answer all of my Weimar questions. I
first met Carla MacDougall on my recruiting trip to Rutgers and my experience has
largely been shaped by our friendship. I thank her for sharing her love of Berlin with me
and making it my second home. I am indebted to Megan Mackey, Kate Carroll, and
Mary Brown for always being there to talk, laugh, and get one another through life’s ups
and downs. Our friendships have always and continue to sustain me.
I am blessed to have two incredibly smart and talented brothers whom I
appreciate deeply. To Christopher and David, thank you for being such important parts
of my life. My dear Inge provided me with a home away from home while in Germany.
I am truly indebted to her for sharing our family history with me. It is with the deepest
and most heartfelt gratitude that I express my love and thanks to my parents who have
always loved me unconditionally and supported all of my endeavors. They are a
monument of love, compassion, and generosity. I hope to live life as they have. There
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exists no better example of what hard work, perseverance, and enthusiasm can achieve
than my father. I thank him for setting the bar so unbelievably high.
I am the daughter and granddaughter of extraordinary women. I hope my
Grandma Ann and my Oma Emmy would see in me, if even just a little, some of their
qualities. My Grandma Ann was the embodiment of intelligence and grace and my Oma
Emmy was a woman of incredible bravery and faith. I know that these two women
would have been so pleased to see their granddaughter earn her Ph.D. My mother was
the first woman in her family to attend college. A familiar story told in our family is how
her mother marched her tiny 4’10” frame to the front of the ceremony and asked them to
pause the commencement so that she could take a picture of her daughter with diploma in
hand. Soon after, my mother continued to make her mom proud by earning her Master’s
Degree. My mother instilled within me a love for learning and the notion that any dream
was possible. I hope she is as proud of me as her mother was of her.
Finally, I thank my very patient and loving husband Daniel. Thank you for
always encouraging me and often making sacrifices for my work. Your kindness knows
no bounds and for that I love you. You have lived with this dissertation everyday and its
final completion is a testimony to our partnership. Our greatest achievement, Samuel
Augustus, is so wonderfully and frightfully made that all other feats pale by comparison.
You are both my heart.

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DEDICATION

To my
Mom and Dad
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT…………………………………………………....................... .ii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS…………………………………………………...iv
DEDICATION……………………………………………………………….vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS…………………………………………………... .viii
LIST OF TABLES…………………………………………………………. .ix
ILLUSTRATIONS………………………………………………………… .x
INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………. .1
CHAPTER ONE
Scourge or Necessity? The Evolution of Nazi Prostitution Policy………... .23
CHAPTER TWO
Soliciting “Cooperation:” Recruiting the Camp Brothel Workforce………. .91

CHAPTER THREE

Life in the Brothel………………………………………………………….. .133

CHAPTER FOUR

Prisoner Johns: The Eager, the Reluctant, the Curious, and the Forced….....190

CHAPTER FIVE

Instrumental Sex in the Concentration Camp Universe……………. …….....231
CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………...270
BIBLIOGRAPHY…………………………………………………………...277

CURRICULUM VITAE…………………………………………………….299

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LIST OF TABLES
Buchenwald Brothel…………………………………………………………208

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