Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Sexuality in Contemporary Arab Society

2005; Berghahn Books; Volume: 49; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.3167/015597705780886257

1558-5727

Abdessamad Dialmy,

Sex work and related issues

Arab scholarship of sexuality is currently emerging against many obstacles. This article provides a suggestive introduction to the current state of knowledge in the area. After briefly sketching an archetype of Arab sexuality, especially its peculiar form of phallocracy, new sexual trends are reviewed, some of which adapt current practices to Shari'a law (e.g., visitation marriages), while others break with it altogether (e.g., prostitution). The article then discusses three distinctive areas of public and policy concerns in the region, namely, honor killings, impotence and Viagra use, and sex-education programs that are precipitated by concerns over HIV/AIDS. The essay concludes with an assessment of some of the main challenges still facing research into the topic in the Arab Islamic world.