The New Arab Man: Emergent Masculinities, Technologies, and Islam in the Middle East

by Marcia C. Inhorn

Overview

Middle Eastern Muslim men have been widely vilified as terrorists, religious zealots, and brutal oppressors of women. The New Arab Man challenges these stereotypes with the stories of ordinary Middle Eastern men as they struggle to overcome infertility and childlessness through assisted reproduction.


Drawing on two decades of ethnographic research across the Middle East with hundreds of men from a variety of social and religious backgrounds, Marcia Inhorn shows how the new Arab man is self-consciously rethinking the patriarchal masculinity of his forefathers and unseating received wisdoms. This is especially true in childless Middle Eastern marriages where, contrary to popular belief, infertility is more common among men than women. Inhorn captures the marital, moral, and material commitments of couples undergoing assisted reproduction, revealing how new technologies are transforming their lives and religious sensibilities. And she looks at the changing manhood of husbands who undertake transnational "egg quests"—set against the backdrop of war and economic uncertainty—out of devotion to the infertile wives they love.


Trenchant and emotionally gripping, The New Arab Man traces the emergence of new masculinities in the Middle East in the era of biotechnology.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780691148892
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	03/25/2012
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	432
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.40(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Marcia C. Inhorn is the William K. Lanman, Jr., Professor of Anthropology and International Affairs at Yale University. Her many books include Local Babies, Global Science: Gender, Religion, and In Vitro Fertilization in Egypt and Infertility and Patriarchy: The Cultural Politics of Gender and Family Life in Egypt.

Table of Contents

List of Figures ix

List of Tables xi

Prologue: Hamza, My Infertile Driver xiii

Introduct ion: Reconceiving Middle Eastern Manhood

Part I : Emergent Masculini t ies

Chapter 1. Hegemonic Masculinity 39

Chapter 2. Infertile Subjectivities 63

Chapter 3. Love Stories 91

Chapter 4. Consanguineous Connectivity 123

Part II : Islamic Masculini t ies

Chapter 5. Masturbation and Semen Collection 161

Chapter 6. Islam and Assisted Reproduction 193

Chapter 7. Sperm Donation and Adoption 228

Chapter 8. Egg Donation and Emergence 262

Conclus ion: Emergent Masculinities in the Middle East 299

Acknowledgments 319

Appendix: The Assisted Reproduction Fatwas 325

Glossary of Arabic Terms 333

Glossary of Medical Terms 337

Notes 345

References Cited 363

Index 389

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"This is a groundbreaking book that makes an extraordinary contribution to the fields of medical anthropology, Middle East studies, and reproductive health. Drawing on rigorous ethnographic fieldwork in multiple countries, Inhorn offers a well-researched, nuanced, and moving reflection on what she terms 'emergent masculinities' in the Middle East. Inhorn is a trailblazer in medical anthropology, and The New Arab Man addresses astonishing gaps in gender studies and related fields."—Angel M. Foster, University of Ottawa and Ibis Reproductive Health

"The New Arab Man is a tour de force that makes a major contribution to multiple fields of scholarship. At a time of great global tension in relation to the associations between Islam, masculinity, and terrorism, this is an incredibly timely book that will act to combat gross stereotypes and deeply rooted stigmas. There is no doubt in my mind that it will become a classic work of ethnographic research."—Richard G. Parker, Columbia University

Editorial Reviews

Winner of the 2015 Robert B. Textor and Family Prize for Excellence in Anticipatory Anthropology, American Anthropological Association

Winner of the 2014 JMEWS Book Award, Journal of Middle Eastern Women's Studies and Association of Middle East Women's Studies

One of Choice's Editors' Picks, October 2012"

Shortlisted for the 2013 Book Prize, Foundation for the Sociology of Health and Illness of the British Sociological Association

From the Publisher

"Yale anthropologist Inhorn's readable ethnography tackles the subject of infertility among Arab men. The author draws primarily on her research in Lebanese clinics that offer in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intrcytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) but also utilizes data from research in Egypt and the UAE. . . . Inhorn's engagin writing style, clear analysis of relevant literature and theory, and compelling interviews make this book an excellent choice for both undergraduate and graduate collections."

Choice