"An excellent overview of the topic of sexuality in the Middle East and North Africa, with an emphasis on non-binary, queer, and non-conforming forms of sexuality. . . . The topic is highly relevant and quite under-studied in the scholarly literature on gender and sexuality in the MENA region."—Hind Ahmed Zaki, University of Connecticut
"Through its wide-ranging exploration of LGBTIQ+ issues and experiences in the Middle East and North Africa, this collection of essays makes an interesting contribution to our understanding of sexualities, politics and culture in turbulent times."—Shereen El Feki, author of Sex and the Citadel: Intimate Life in a Changing Arab World
"Ryan and Rizzo problematize the West vs East dichotomy, inviting us to go beyond regional dichotomies that associate the ‘West’ with freedom and the ‘East’ with oppression."—Sari Hanafi, American University of Beirut
Description
Issues of sexuality in the Middle East and North Africa have served as a lightning rod for international discussions surrounding the treatment of those who identify as LGBTQ+, sexual and reproductive health, and the prevention of sexual violence. While a growing body of scholarship and internal advocacy groups have brought more open dialogue within and about the MENA region,this volume builds on the small but growing literature on sexuality in the Middle East and North Africa by providing critical insights and academic analysis into a broad range of complex and controversial issues.
Spanning a wide array of countries from Algeria to Yemen, Egypt, Iran, Israel, and Saudi Arabia, this volume offers a comprehensive regional analysis that transcends the limitations of country-specific studies. Three themes guide the volume’s organization: sexual politics, rights, and movements; gender and sexual minorities; and sexual health, identity, and well-being. Drawing on contemporary scholarship and ethnographic fieldwork, the contributors shed light on howsexuality is a foundational element of national and regional discourses, acts as a political tool for marking difference, and has the possibility to enlighten, restrict, liberate, or oppress the millions of individuals living in the region. This volume is essential reading for scholars, policymakers, and anyone interested in the intersection of sexuality, identity, and human rights in the Middle East and North Africa.
About the Author
J. Michael Ryan is professor-researcher at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. Dr. Ryan has edited more than sixteen volumes, including Gender in the Middle East and North Africa with Helen Rizzo.
Helen Rizzo is an associate professor of sociology at the American University in Cairo. She is the author of Islam, Democracy and the Status of Women: The Case of Kuwait and coeditor of Gender in the Middle East and North Africa.
Series: Gender, Culture, and Politics in the Middle East
6 x 9, 304 pages, 1 black and white illustrations
October 2024