Main description:

In Middle Eastern and Islamic societies, the politics of sexual knowledge is a delicate and often controversial subject. Sherry Sayed Gadelrab focuses on nineteenth and early-twentieth century Egypt, claiming that during this period there was a perceptible shift in the medical discourse surrounding conceptualisations of sex differences and the construction of sexuality. Medical authorities began to promote theories that suggested men's innate 'active' sexuality as opposed to women's more 'passive' characteristics, interpreting the differences in female and male bodies to correspond to this hierarchy. Through examining the interconnection of medical, legal, religious and moral discourses on sexual behaviour, Gadelrab highlights the association between sex, sexuality and the creation and recreation of the concept of gender at this crucial moment in the development of Egyptian society. By analysing the debates at the time surrounding science, medicine, morality, modernity and sexuality, she paints a nuanced picture of the Egyptian understanding and manipulation of the concepts of sex and gender.

Contents:

Chapter 1: Conceptualizing the History of Sexual Knowledge in Nineteenth- and Early Twentieth-Century Egypt
Chapter 2: Professional Medical Discourse on Sex Differences and Sexuality in Egypt, 1827-1928
Chapter 3: Science and Debates on the Woman Question in Late Nineteenth- and Early Twentieth-Century Egypt
Chapter 4: Modernity, Science and Religious Fatwas on Sexuality
Chapter 5: Sexual Fears: Public Discourses on Prostitutes and Prostitution in Egypt
Chapter 6: Conclusion