Sexuality in the Middle East and North Africa
Contemporary Issues and Challenges

J. Michael Ryan (Edited by), Helen Rizzo (Edited by), J. Michael Ryan (Contributions by), Helen Rizzo (Contributions by), Zeina Zaatari (Contributions by), Grant Walsh-Haines (Contributions by), Maryam Hisham Fouad (Contributions by), Gilly Hartal (Contributions by), Orna Sasson-Levy (Contributions by), Rusi Jaspal (Contributions by), Ana Cristina Marques (Contributions by), Salma Talaat (Contributions by), Inas Abdelwahed (Contributions by), Ismael Maatouk (Contributions by), Moubadda Assi (Contributions by)

9780815604860

Hardback, published 15 October 2024

277 pages, 1 black and white
22.9 x 15.2 x 2 cm, 0.586 kg

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

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 the MENA region, this volume is the first of its kind to provide critical insights and academic analysis into a broad range of complex and controversial issues dealing with sexuality.

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 the ways in which sexuality is a foundational element of national and regional discourses, serves 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.