Virgins Research Articles

Identity Erasure in Fadia Faqir’s Pillars of Salt, My Name is Salma & Leila Aboulela’s Minaret

This article aims to highlight the desire for identity erasure as a dominant theme in Fadia Faqir’s Pillars of Salt, My Name is Salma & Leila Aboulela’s Minaret. It also examines the process of rethinking and reshaping identity, its concomitant process of labelling and the desire for identity erasure in the target novels using insights from Postcolonial Theory, Freudian Psychoanalysis, Jungian Archetypal Criticism, and Derrida’s Deconstruction. Textual analysis reveals that Faqir and Aboulela aim to highlight the predicament of females in Arab societies and in England where they suffer from patriarchy, alienation, trauma and PTSD that cause them to wish to erase their past and their identities and to develop thanatos to escape the existential situations they find themselves in, and in which they suffer from patriarchy, traumatic loss of/separation from their loved ones, and sometimes a loss of virginity and, hence, a sinful past. Patriarchy, as in oppressive ideology, has a destructive effect upon female experience and female identity. In a world in which patriarchy still dominates, the novels in question function as an eye-opener on the need to empower women and free them from its tenacious grip.

Michael Rosenberg, Signs of Virginity: testing virgins and making men in late

Des la premiere phrase de son introduction, l’auteur precise l’objet de son etude qui n’est pas la virginite feminine en elle-meme mais la domination masculine que la question de la virginite est a meme de reveler : « this book is about cultural constructions of men’s sexuality as ideally aggressive » (p. 1). Il entreprend d’etudier pensee rabbinique et pensee chretienne qui ont pu s’appuyer sur le passage biblique de Deuteronome 22 :13-21, texte ayant statue sur la necessaire virginite des j...

Análise do perfil sexual de brasileiras: hábitos e práticas

Objetivo: Traçar o perfil de hábitos e de práticas sexuais de mulheres em todo o território brasileiro. Métodos: É um estudo transversal, ocorrido em dezembro de 2017 com mulheres entre 18 e 60 anos. A coleta foi mediante um questionário online, contendo 45 questões clínicas, sociodemográficas e decomportamento sexual. Resultados: Participaram 414 mulheres de todas as regiões brasileiras com média de idade 25 anos. A maioria é heterossexual, em um relacionamento estável, perdeu a virgindade entre 12 e 17 anos e sente-se à vontade para falar sobre sexo. Em relação à atividade sexual o envolvimento físico (76,6%), afetivo (72,5%) e o desejo (74,6%) estão sempre presentes. O que mais importa em um relacionamento sexual é o respeito (89,9%), a saúde sexual (88,4%), o afeto e o amor (83,1%). Essas mulheres temem engravidar (69,4%) e adquirir infecções sexualmente transmissíveis (84,1%), embora não usem frequentemente preservativo. Uma porcentagem das participantes (17,6%) apresentou depressão; dispareunia (27,5%) e vulvodínia (36,2%). Mesmo assim, 41,8% considera sua vida sexual boa. Conclusão: Observou-se que a mulher brasileira inicia cedo suas relações sexuais, e que estas estão vinculadas ao respeito, à saúde sexual, ao afeto, o carinho e o amor. Embora apresentem bastante medo de engravidar e adquirir infecções sexualmente transmissíveis. Além de apresentarem dor no ato sexual, vulvodínia.

The phenomenon of the conciliar reform of the rites of the consecration of virgins

Fenomen soborowej reformy obrzedow konsekracji dziewic Malo znany jest fakt, ze w Kościele istnieje konsekracja kobiet świeckich, czyli specjalny obrzed liturgiczny, podczas ktorego kobieta sklada przyrzeczenie, ze bedzie zyla w dozgonnej czystości dla Krolestwa Bozego. W zamyśle Kościola obrzed ten przeznaczony jest przede wszystkim dla kobiet niezrzeszonych w zadnych Instytutach ani wspolnotach, ale zyjących indywidualnie i prowadzących świecki tryb zycia. Warunkiem dopuszczenia do tego obrzedu przez biskupa jest to, ze kobieta nie zawarla malzenstwa ani nie zyla w stanie przeciwnym czystości. W dopuszczeniu do konsekracji dziewic świeckich, pozostających w świecie i wykonujących swoje prace zawodowe i spoleczne, wyraza sie cala nowośc obecnych obrzedow. Po ośmiu wiekach od czasu zaprzestania praktyki konsekracji dziewic świeckich Kościol, kierowany duchem czasu, wraca do swojej dawnej tradycji i przywraca obrzed konsekracji „ich pierwotnym wlaścicielom”, czyli kobietom świeckim. Mozna odnowione obrzedy konsekracji uznac za szczegolny wyraz szacunku dla kobiety, ktorej godnośc jest niekiedy obrazana przez spolecznośc zdominowaną mitami hedonizmu i konsumpcji. Autor zajmuje sie tozsamością i charakterem diecezjalnym stanu dziewic jako typowym dla tej formy zycia konsekrowanego. Porusza ponadto zagadnienia związane z warunkami dopuszczenia kobiet do konsekracji, zalozeniami teologicznymi obrzedu oraz formą jego sprawowania.

Virginity

Virginity

Mutilazioni genitali femminili: la lotta dell’Europa contro una silenziosa violenza

SOMMARIO: 1. Le pratiche di manipolazioni degli organi genitali femminili - 2. Procedura esercutiva e conseguenze degli atti di alterazione dei caratteri sessuali delle donne - 3. Radici socio-culturali delle pratiche di MGF - 4. Fattore religioso e atti modificativi dei genitali femminili - 5. Le strategie di prevenzione e di contrasto delle MGF nell’Unione europea - 6. Politiche legislative nella lotta contro le MGF - 7. Conclusioni. Denied identities. Female genital mutilation: the fight of Europe against a silent violence ABSTRACT: FGM refers to rituals of manipulation female genitalia and other procedures against female genital organs for non-medical reasons. Usually the practice is carried out on young girls, from childhood to teenagers. These rituals are carried out for cultural, religious and social reasons in the mistaken belief that they will produce a benefit to the girl (to safeguard her virginity, to prepare for marriage, etc.). No religious text prescribes the practice, but is rooted in the culture and beliefs of the communities that practice it. However some religious communities practice the FGM. Rituals do not help the health of the girl subjected, but they can lead to serious health complications or even to death of victim. So FGM is recognised a form of child abuse and a violation of women’s human rights. The EU is committed to eliminating FGM through strategic actions and legislative measures, but mainly changes in attitudes and beliefs among relevant communities are important to ensure FGM is abandoned. It is also important to fight FGM with direct involvement of the religious and political leaders of the communities where the rituals are diffuse. European States are called to cooperate with each other with strategic internal and external actions.

Massenet for the Masses? The Opera Virgins Project

Massenet for the Masses? The Opera Virgins Project

Pelvic Pain in Adolescents women: Prevalence and Associated Sexual Factors in a Student’s Population Survey

Abstract Objective: To identify the prevalence and correlates the chronic pelvic pain outside the menstrual period with sexual activity in an adolescents Brazilians students women survey. Design and Setting: Participants provided written informed consent for interviews. We present data from female adolescents, high school students from a public school in a city in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, interviewed between May 2017 and September 2017. This questionnaire focussed on sexual activity, therefore, in the fact of being or not being a virgin, defined as those who report vaginal sex, with one or more partners, at the time of the interview or never having had vaginal penetration defined as virgins. A single teacher interviewed participants at the school. Main outcome measures: It is very high significant the selfreports of Chronic Pelvic Pain in association with sexual intercourse. Results: 104 adolescents aged 15 to 17 years were interviewed and two groups of women were obtained. A group A that included 60 virgins (57, 6%) adolescents who responded were virgins and therefore never maintained sexual activity with vaginal penetration and all these adolescents denied pelvic pain outside the menstrual period; and another group B that included 44 adolescents (42,4%) non virgins who reported not being virgins and who are having sexual activity of at least 1 time per week vaginal penetration. Of these, 24 (54,4%) women reported pelvic pain outside the menstrual period. Conclusions: Rates of pelvic pain in Brazilians student’s women are correlated with sexual activity with vaginal penetration. Women with complain pelvic pain should be investigated about this condition.

Virginity Test-how is it still a Thing?

Virginity Test-how is it still a Thing?

Probing Virginity Testing on Girl Child: The Case of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Virginity testing is defined as “a practice and process of inspecting the genitalia of unmarried girls and women to determine if they are sexually active. Virginity testing is a practice that is common in some sub-Saharan African countries including Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Kenya and South Africa. In Zimbabwe, virginity testing is performed in order to curb the further spread of HIV/AIDS. Proponents of virginity testing maintain that with its emphasis on total abstinence from sexual intercourse by girls, the practice is being revived to prevent HIV infection, to detect incest and abuse, and to re-instil and promote lost cultural values. Traditionalists view the revival of virginity testing as a signal of going back to basics and it enjoys a lot of support from those communities that practice it. In spite of concerted efforts to conduct virginity testing in all areas, some girls still fall pregnant, drop out of school and depend on their mothers to support their children. This paper therefore probes virginity testing among young girls in a rural area in KwaZulu-Natal. The study draws on desk-based method, un-structured face-to-face interviews and focus group discussions conducted with girls aged 12 to 21 years.Keywords: Virginity, Testing, Genitilia, Hymnal Examinations, Ukuhlolwakwentombi, HIV/AIDS infections

Mirzam C. Pérez, The Comedia of Virginity: Mary and the Politics of Seventeenth-Century Spanish Theater

Review of Mirzam C. Perez, The Comedia of Virginity: Mary and the Politics of Seventeenth-Century Spanish Theater , Waco (Texas), Baylor University Press, 2012, 173 pp. ISBN: 9781602586451.

Sex for Life: From Virginity to Viagra, How Sexuality Changes Throughout Our Lives

Sex for Life: From Virginity to Viagra, How Sexuality Changes Throughout Our Lives

Algunos apuntes sobre los primeros Shuhada’ Fi Sabil Allah (Mártires en la senda de Dios) en el Islám

In Muslim tradition the best of all men is the one who fights fi sabil Allah (in the way of Allah). If he dies in the war, he acquires the condition of shahid (pl. shuhada’, martyr) and he gains automatically Paradise, where seventy two virgins are waiting for him. There are, however, other conditions to obtain martyrdom in Islam. This paper deals with these other conditions. Among them, for example, if a soldier is seriously injured in a battle in the way of Allah. If he loses an arm, a hand, or a leg he becomes a martyr. Another example that we can mention is if the soldier gets an injury in one of his eyes. If he loses the vision in that eye he becomes a shahid. These are examples which are analysed in this paper, for which we have used the major Arabic sources of the early times of Islam. Prophet Muhammad believed that Muslims would eventually engage in naval campaigns to attack, fi sabil Allah, the enemies in the sea. This indeed happened and Muslim armies conquered the islands in the Mediterranean; they attacked Constantinople with a strong fleet which was not successful. They also conquered the Iberian Peninsula as a result of naval campaigns as well

Virginity Unmasked: The Many Meanings of Virginity

Virginity Unmasked: The Many Meanings of Virginity

Assessment of potential risky sexual behaviors among Dilla University students: A survey study for enhancing self- protection from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection

The aim of this research was to examine risky sexual behaviors and pre-disposing factors among Dilla University undergraduate students and to design feasible strategies to mitigate acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and other sexually transmitted diseases. Mainly, a qualitative method of data collection was utilized to get a number of 187 participants (181 regular students and 6 academically dismissed female students) and 44 purposively selected informants from the administrative workers. The data were analyzed manually using the thematic framework method. The results of the study revealed risky behaviors of the students as follows: having sex without condom on campus, rape attempt, loss of virginity, unintended pregnancy, abortion, lawlessness of the students, substance and alcohol use etc. Moreover, various predisposing factors for risky sexual behaviors of the students were identified. To mitigate the problems, immediate holistic and integrated efforts are needed. Moreover, this finding also recommends new approaches such as providing pre-hand orientation for the fresh university students, reviewing the existing curriculum and academic promotion policies, integration or separate inclusion of sex education, including HIV issues into university and formal school curricula and provision of special attention to female students who are being dismissed from the universities. Key words: Vulnerability, unintended pregnancy, self-protection, risky sexual behaviors, pre-disposing factors.

STRUCTURE AND ULTRASTRUCTURE OF THE MALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER MEIG

SUMMARY The structure of the genital duct and accessory glands of the male reproductive system in Drosophila melanogaster was studied by means of phase-contrast and polarized-light microscopes, their ultrastructure being investigated with the electron microscope. Reproductive systems from adult virgins of the Varese wild strain were used as basic material. The results were compared systematically with those from reproductive system of insects of various ages, of insects examined at different times during and after mating and of sterile mutant strains. The most original results relate to: i. the presence of a striated muscle layer whose organization in the individual portions of the reproductive system appears closely related to individual functional activities. Of particular interest is the presence of sphincteric valves between the unpaired deferent duct and the anterior ejaculatory duct. ii. The presence of an unpaired portion connecting the paired vasa deferentia. iii. The peculiar junctions of the acc...

The Bible on Steroids The Effect of Androcentrism on the Lectionary

For many Catholics the most common encounter with the biblical witness is through the Lectionary. Questions arise about the method by which biblical passages are selected, the message conveyed by the content of the Lectionary readings, and the impact of the Lectionary on our appreciation of the role of women in salvation history. W hen I began to study the Bible as an undergraduate theology student, I was surprised to discover women in the Pauline texts who were leaders of house churches, missionaries, prophets, catechists, and deacons; women who were Paul’s coworkers, not his subordinates. However, my genuine delight at this discovery was eclipsed by a deeper question: why had I not heard of these women before? After some reflection, I came to the realization that I had spent too much time with my missalette and not enough time with my Bible. What I had experienced, and what all Catholics experience if they do not have significant extra-liturgical biblical encounters, was a scripturally mediated indoctrination into the Church’s anthropology of women. This anthropology says that women were created to be the helpers of men, especially in procreation, and that they are characterized by certain qualities that pertain to this role, such as passivity, receptivity, selflessness, and sensitivity to the needs of people (John Paul II, n. 18). Every woman, regardless of her actual life situation, is defined by the “two particular dimensions of the fulfillment of the female personality,” (John Paul II, n. 17), virginity and motherhood. While the Lectionary’s delivery of

Book Review: Sex for Life: From Virginity to Viagra, How Sexuality Changes Throughout Our Lives

Book Review: <i>Sex for Life: From Virginity to Viagra, How Sexuality Changes Throughout Our Lives</i>

"Çë kur të lashë, nani të shoh" [Da quando t’ho lasciata, ora ti rivedo] Diario, foto e ricordi di viaggio nell’Albania del 1983

I share here the Diary of my trip to Albania made in August 1983, which has been the first of a long series of journeys made during these last thirty-years. I present for the first time the unabridged transcription of my diary supplemented by a series of recently written texts containing both extensive descriptions of communist Albania and an historical, cultural and economic introduction. The whole text is illustrated by many other documents such as pictures and original materials which I have gathered and kept of that trip. So, I give here my witness from within the then Albanian communist gulag which in 1983 was still forbidden to most people but that revealed itself to us, young university students, with all its contradictions, with its extraordinary unbelievable beauty and with the virginity (now lost) of all those wonderful places we were lucky to visit thirty years ago.

Training a Generation of Educational Virgins : Il romanzo d'una maestra (1901) by Ida Baccini Between Autobiography and the Relaunch of the Female Teaching Vocation

Training a Generation of Educational Virgins : Il romanzo d'una maestra (1901) by Ida Baccini Between Autobiography and the Relaunch of the Female Teaching Vocation