Eastern Women Research Articles

The Collapse of Self-Seduction and Colonial Mimicry: An Analysis of the Film M. Butterfly Compared to Its Earlier Versions

Through an in-depth analysis of the main characters and their relationship inDavid Cronenberg’s film M. Butterfly compared mainly to those in John LutherLong’s short story “Madame Butterfly,” this paper affords us a renewedunderstanding of the Orientalist hierarchy between the West and the East.The paper argues that, by constructing the multilayered identities of andcomplicated relationship between the main characters, René Gallimard andSong Liling, who cross the gendered and racially defined boundaries, thefilm deals critically with the Orientalist view of the West toward an Easternfeminine love, in which a beautiful, submissive Eastern woman is selflesslydevoted to a Western man. Using the ideas of self-seduction,self-deception, colonial mimicry, the Third Space, etc., the paper also pointsout the limitations of their crossing of the boundaries. That is, Gallimardcontinues blindly fantasizing about Oriental femininity to the end of the filmand Song’s deception and manipulation of Gallimard and his threats toGallimard’s superior position do not allow him to form a mutual partnershipwith Gallimard.

Racism During Pregnancy and Birthing: Experiences from Asian and Pacific Islander, Black, Latina, and Middle Eastern Women.

Despite persistent racial disparities in maternal health in the USA, there is limited qualitative research on women's experiences of discrimination during pregnancy and childbirth that focuses on similarities and differences across multiple racial groups. Eleven focus groups with Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI), Black, Latina, and Middle Eastern women (N = 52) in the USA were conducted to discuss the extent to which racism and discrimination impact pregnancy and birthing experiences. Participants across groups talked about the role of unequal power dynamics, discrimination, and vulnerability in patient-provider relationships. Black participants noted the influence of prior mistreatment by providers in their healthcare decisions. Latinas expressed fears of differential care because of immigration status. Middle Eastern women stated that the Muslim ban bolstered stereotypes. Vietnamese participants discussed how the effect of racism on mothers' mental health could impact their children, while Black and Latina participants expressed constant racism-related stress for themselves and their children. Participants recalled better treatment with White partners and suggested a gradient of treatment based on skin complexion. Participants across groups expressed the value of racial diversity in healthcare providers and pregnancy/birthing-related support but warned that racial concordance alone may not prevent racism and emphasized the need to go beyond "band-aid solutions." Women's discussions of pregnancy and birthing revealed common and distinct experiences that varied by race, skin complexion, language, immigration status, and political context. These findings highlight the importance of qualitative research for informing maternal healthcare practices that reduce racial inequities.

Abstract 9403: Sex Differences in Clinical Features, Utilization of Oral Anticoagulant Agents and One Year Outcome in the Middle East. the Jordan Atrial Fibrillation Study

Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia in women and men on a global level. Sex-specific differences in the baseline clinical and demographic features, management strategies and prognosis in patients with AF have been studied extensively but have received less attention in the Middle East Hypothesis: To compare the clinical characteristics, therapeutic strategies and one-year incidence of major cardiovascular events between women and men with AF Methods: The Jordan AF Study enrolled consecutive patients with AF in 29 hospitals and cardiology clinics in Jordan from May 2019 through December 2020. Patients were followed up for one year. We used the study data to compare clinical features, use of pharmaceutical agents and outcome in women compared with men Results: Of 2020 AF patients enrolled, 1095 (54.2%) were women. Women were older than men (mean age±SD 69.4±11.1 vs. 66.0±14.7 years, p<0.001), and had higher prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. Compared with men, women with nonvalvular AF had higher mean CH2DS2-VASc score(4.1±1.7 vs. 3.0±1.8, p<0.001) and HAS-BLED score (1.7±1.1 vs. 1.6±1.2, p=0.05). High-risk CHA2DS2-VASc score was present in 83.9% of women and 78.9% of men (p=0.07), and oral anticoagulant agents were prescribed for 84.7% of women and 81.7% of men (p=0.14).At one year, women and men did not differ significantly in rates of all-cause death (12.0% vs. 13.1%, p=0.51), stroke/systemic embolism (4.1% vs. 4.8%, p=0.44), major bleeding events (2.0% vs. 3.2%, p=0.13), and intracranial bleeding (0.3% vs. 0.8%, p=0.24). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed no sex differences in one-year all-cause death. Moreover, age > 70 years, hypertension, diabetes, heart failure, ischemic heart disease were associated with higher incidence of all-cause death Conclusions: Despite the fact that Middle Eastern women with AF had worse baseline clinical profile and risk scores, they did not differ from men in one-year outcome. Female sex was not a predictor of one-year mortality in this cohort.

If This Is A Woman: Studies on Women and Gender in the Holocaust Denisa Nestakova, Katja Grosse-Sommer, Borbala Klacsmann and Jakub Drabik

This is a book to be welcomed by Holocaust scholars, particularly those interested in the World War II experiences of Jewish women in Eastern and East-Central Europe. In addition to survivor testimonies and the writings left by the murdered, the book draws upon articles written by historians from this region. If This Is A Women emerged from the “20th Century Conference: If This Is A Woman,” held at Comenius University in Bratislava in January 2019. The conference was jointly sponsored by the Institute of History at the Slovak Academy of Sciences, the Institute for Contemporary History in Munich, and the French and Israeli Embassies in Slovakia. Andrea Peto sets the tone with a warning all too familiar to feminist historians: “historians working on gendering the Holocaust are also struggling not only [with] the remasculinization of their profession but also [with] the resistance of history writing against these epistemological challenges” (p. x). In their introduction, the editors point to the devaluation of “gendered” approaches and the delegitimization of gendered studies, “by disparaging discussions of specifically female historical questions” (p. xv). They also point to the “revitaliz[ation] [of] so-called traditional family values” in East-Central Europe (p. xv), which has influenced the humanities and social sciences. In other words, these attacks on gender studies, as seen in the current politics of Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia, are a reaction to progressive ideas.

Lynch Syndrome Identification in Saudi Cohort of Endometrial Cancer Patients Screened by Universal Approach.

Lynch syndrome (LS) is the most common cause of inherited endometrial cancer (EC). The prevalence and molecular characteristic of LS in Middle Eastern women with EC have been underexplored. To evaluate the frequency of LS in a cohort of EC patients from Saudi Arabia, a total of 436 EC cases were screened utilizing immunohistochemistry (IHC), MLH1 promoter methylation analysis and next-generation sequencing technology. A total of 53 of 436 (12.2%) ECs were classified as DNA mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR). MLH1 promoter hypermethylation was detected in 30 ECs (6.9%). Three ECs (0.7%) were found to be LS harboring germline pathogenic variants (PVs)/likely pathogenic variants (LPVs): two in the MSH2 gene and one in the MSH6 gene. Three ECs (0.7%) were Lynch-like syndrome (LLS) carrying double somatic MSH2 PVs/LPVs. Seven cases were found to have variants of uncertain significance in cancer-related genes other than MMR genes. Our results indicate that LS prevalence is low among Saudi EC patients and LLS is as common as LS in this ethnicity. Our findings could help in better understanding of the prevalence and mutational spectrum of this syndrome in Saudi Arabia, which may help in defining best strategies for LS identification, prevention and genetic counseling for EC patients.

Understanding the role of men in women's use of the vaginal ring and oral PrEP during pregnancy and breastfeeding: multi-stakeholder perspectives

We examined men’s influence on women’s interest in biomedical HIV prevention during pregnancy and breastfeeding through structured questionnaires and focus group discussions with currently or recently pregnant and breastfeeding (P/BF) women (n = 65), men with P/BF partners (n = 63) and mothers/mothers-in-law of P/BF women (n = 68) in eastern and southern Africa. Data were transcribed, coded and summarised into analytical memos. Men were depicted by most participants as joint decision-makers and influencers of women’s use of HIV prevention. Cultural and religious norms depicting men as heads, breadwinners and protectors of the family were cited to legitimise their involvement in decision-making. Male partner education and engagement were recommended to garner their support in women’s HIV prevention. This study elucidates how P/BF women’s ability to prevent HIV is shaped by traditional and contemporary gender norms in social settings and locations where the study was conducted. Findings may aid intervention design to engage men for P/BF women’s effective use of microbicide and oral PrEP.

Orientalizing Arab Migrant Women: Faten and Reema as Sexual Fantasies in Laila Lalami’s Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits and Susan Muaddi Darraj’s The Inheritance of Exile

The orientalist discourse is characterized by the discursive conceptualization of an uncivilized and sexualized east. Eastern women are portrayed as sexual objects and fantasies whose purpose is the satisfaction and obedience of the brown men. This discursive representation has affected the Westerner’s perception of migrant women as the novels suggest. This article probes the sexualizing and objectifying of Arab migrant women as a result of their ideological representation by the orientalists in the context of diaspora. Faten in Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits as a Moroccan female migrant in Spain and Reema in The Inheritance of Exile as an American of Arab descent are perceived by the Spanish customer and American boyfriend respectively as harem and sexual objects who can fulfill their fantasies. The agency Lalami and Darraj associate with their female protagonists does however dismantle the fixed representation of orientalism as Faten and Reema are given voice to rewrite the discursive narratives and to present alternative representations of Arab female migrants as being heterogeneous and independent individuals with freedom and control over their choices and decisions. The two studied novels as postcolonial diasporic literature disrupts and debunks the discursive orientalist discourse on Arab women.

''Ask the way from those who have walked it before"-Grandmothers' roles in health-related decision making and HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis use among pregnant and breastfeeding women in sub-Saharan Africa.

HIV acquisition among pregnant and breastfeeding women in sub-Saharan Africa and vertical transmission rates remain high despite established strategies for HIV prevention. During the MTN-041/MAMMA study, we explored the influence of grandmothers (mothers and mothers-in-law of pregnant and breastfeeding women) in eastern and southern Africa on the health-related decisions of pregnant and breastfeeding women and their potential to support use of HIV prevention products. To do this we used structured questionnaires and focus group discussions with three stakeholder groups: 1) grandmothers, 2) HIV-uninfected currently or recently pregnant or breastfeeding women and 3) male partners of currently or recently pregnant or breastfeeding women. A total of 23 focus group discussions comprising 68 grandmothers, 65 pregnant or breastfeeding women and 63 male partners were completed across four study sites. Grandmothers were described as important sources of information during pregnancy and breastfeeding playing both supportive and influencer roles due to personal maternal experience and generational knowledge. While pregnant and breastfeeding women were not keen to involve grandmothers in HIV prevention decision making, they were accepting of grandmothers' involvement in a supportive role. Grandmothers expressed willingness to support pre-exposure prophylaxis use and agreed with the other two stakeholder groups that this decision should be made by women themselves or together with partners. These novel data indicate potential for grandmothers' health related supportive roles to be extended to support decision-making and adherence to biomedical HIV prevention options, and possibly contribute to the decline in HIV acquisition among pregnant and breastfeeding women in these communities.

Peace on Our Terms: The Global Battle for Women's Rights after the First World War

Peace on Our Terms: The Global Battle for Women's Rights after the First World War

발레 뤼스의 오리엔탈리즘 변화 양상: 레옹 박스트와 앙리 마티스를 중심으로

The purpose of this study is to examine the changes in orientalism of the Ballet Russes, focusing on the stage works of Léon Bakst and Henri Matisse. In particular, Bakst’s Scherazade and Matisse’s The Song of the Nightingale are examined, which reveal that the characteristics of color sense, abstraction, flatnesss and decoration in plastic aspects as well as the approach to total arts with consideration of the elements of entire work including movement and choreographic structure are common, however there is a change from Bakst’s glamorous and erotic style to Matisse’s minimalist and understated style. Orientalism refers to the East constructed through the perspective of the West, and the both works have a positive aspect of mystifying the East and treating the East as an object of longing, with the former’s negative aspects including description of violence and barbarism toward the East and sexual objectification of eastern women. On the other hand, the latter work is evaluated as showing an effort to deviate from such stereotype of Orientalism and to approach the essence.

Dietary intake and lifestyle practices of eastern mediterranean postpartum women before and during COVID-19 pandemic: An internet-based cross-sectional survey.

BackgroundDuring the lockdown period, a substantial group of these women reported lifestyle changes.AimThe aim of the study is to characterize the dietary patterns, intake and the adherence to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) pregnancy guidelines before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Eastern Mediterranean postartum women.MethodsAn internet-based cross-sectional survey was used to collect the data. The survey was carried out among 1,939 postpartum women from five countries from the Eastern Mediterranean region. Change in dietary intake from the five food groups and the adherence to USDA's daily recommendations were assessed.FindingsThere was a significant increase in the mean (SD) consumption of all the food groups, including bread, rice, and other cereals, fruits, vegetables, milk and milk products, white and red meat, and nuts during the pandemic. Around 84% of participants reported no/low adherence (0–2) to USDA guidelines, whereas only 15% reported moderate or high adherence (3–5) to the guidelines before the pandemic. However, there was an increase in the proportion of subjects reporting moderate/high adherence (22%) during the pandemic.Discussion and conclusionsA substantial proportion of our study participants reported a lower dietary intake than the recommended amounts, and low adherence to the five food groups. Reasonable and applicable actions should be taken to protect postpartum women and their children from the effects of low dietary intake, particularly during pandemics and lockdowns. More researches are needed to identify the modifiable factors which could improve the nutritional status of the postpartum women during the pandemic.

My Wife Has Breast Cancer: The Lived Experience of Arab Men.

Breast cancer is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity among women in Middle Eastern countries. In Bahrain, breast cancer is the second-leading cause of death and first among women. Prior research has shown that Middle Eastern women will often delay seeking treatment for breast cancer and subsequently hide the diagnosis from friends and family. As a result, women rely heavily on their spouses for support and care. There is limited research on spouses' experience of breast cancer, especially in the Middle East. This study explored the lived experience of Arab men following their wives' diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer in Bahrain. Data from semi-structured interviews with Arab men (n = 6) were analyzed using the interpretative phenomenological approach (IPA). Participants' wives had completed their treatment 3 to 6 months prior to the interviews. Three main themes emerged: Perceptions of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, coping strategies, and impact on quality of life. Findings revealed that Arab men in Bahrain relied on family and friends for support and drew on religious beliefs to give them hope so they could better support their wives. Findings also highlighted the unique culturally related coping strategies used by Arab men. This study highlights the specific needs of Arab men following their wives' diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer. Faith and beliefs were overwhelmingly a foundation for coping and support. Therefore, this must be considered within the health care service to improve support strategies for Arab patients and their spouses in treatment and care plans encompassing a holistic interprofessional, multidisciplinary, and communicative approaches including the need for culturally sensitive care pathways that are cognizant of the care needs through help-seeking and information-sharing throughout the illness. Nurses should provide the education and encourage open communication among the couple and their family. Findings can be used by nurses and other health care professionals to provide better support and holistic care to Arab women with breast cancer and their spouses.

Number of Children and Female Labor Participation in China.

The continuous decrease in the number of women of childbearing age and the consequent decrease in reproductive willingness have contributed to the continuous decrease in labor participation among Chinese women, which has negatively affected the stable socioeconomic development in terms of health. This paper deeply explores the intrinsic relationship between the number of children and women’s labor participation based on 2016 data from China Labor-force Dynamic Survey (CLDS). Our results show that there is an “inverted U-shaped” relationship between the number of children and the rate of women’s labor involvement; in other words, women’s labor participation shows a trend with the increase in the number of children, first rising and then falling; meanwhile, the relationship is more pronounced among women in eastern and central regions and towns. To this end, this study provides a theoretical research basis to effectively alleviate women’s selective pressure at home and work, and has a certain reference value for the Chinese government to improve women’s employment environment.

CRITIQUE OF THE REPRESENTATION OF MUSLIM WOMEN IN ORIENTALIST PAINTINGS: LALLA ESSAYDI AND THE RECONTEXTUALIZATION OF ORIENTALISM

Edward Said argues that the West has always been biased toward the East. The opinions about the East are largely based on stereotypes developed in 19th-century artwork and disseminated by Europeans mostly through art. In her photographic works, Lalla Essaydi challenges these Western stereotypes of Muslim culture and offers a new perspective on issues of female identity in the Muslim world. Although there is some research that examines Orientalist paintings from different perspectives, a few studies focus on the representation of Muslims in 19th century Orientalist paintings and analyze them in comparison with contemporary artworks. This study discusses the representation of Muslim women in Orientalist art and the ways in which this representation is critiqued and restaged by Essaydi. The comparison of the two artworks shows that the perception of female identity has changed over the years. Whereas in Orientalist painting the veil was considered an object of exoticism and veiled Middle Eastern women are seen as oppressed and part of a mystical world, in Essaydi's works the veil is the symbol of modesty and women are symbolized as individuals from the real world rather than part of a male fantasy.

Rudimentary Horn Adenomyosis in A 20-Year-Old Patient With Unicornuate Uterus: A Case Report

Background: A unicornuate uterus with a rudimentary horn is a rare Mullerian anomaly with few cases reported in the literature. The symptoms vary depending on the functionality of the endometrial cavity and the presence of an obstruction. Adenomyosis is a disease defined as areas of endometrial glands and stroma present within the myometrium. Reports describing adenomyosis in relation to the Mullerian anomalies are scarce. Case Report: We present a 20-year-old middle eastern woman admitted for chronic pelvic pain and abdominal distension. Pelvic ultrasound revealed a unicornuate uterus with an adjacent mass of 10 x 8 cm. An MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) was performed, and a left unicornuate uterus was demonstrated. On the right side, a large non-communicating rudimentary horn with features suggesting diffuse adenomyosis was found. Laparoscopic removal of the horn was performed successfully, and the extraction of the specimen was made by a power morcellation containment system. The patient was discharged uneventfully the second day after the surgery, and the pathology result confirmed the presence of diffuse adenomyosis. Conclusion: Non-communicating rudimentary horn is a rare finding manifesting as different symptoms in young women. The enlargement of the horn can have obstructive consequences on an active endometrium, and this would lead to the formation of a hematometra and the distension of the cavity, and sometimes adenomyosis.

Marketing of self: Using tattoos to symbolize ownership and control of One's body. Narratives from Middle Eastern women

AbstractNegative perceptions are associated to women with tattoos. This paper explores the impact of culture on Middle Eastern women with tattoos and their response towards rejection and perceptions. The study adopts a social constructivist approach that integrates narratives from Middle Eastern women. This is precisely conducted to obtain an insider's view through reflections of personal experiences of women with tattoos in Jordan. Such methods help by extracting social insights that can be limited in traditional positivistic methods. The findings generated from the narratives, narrated by seven Middle Eastern women, reveal the symbolic meanings associated to tattoos and the sense of ownership and control women have over their own bodies. Furthermore, results reveal a form of individualism in a collective and masculine culture with a patriarchal mindset. Middle Eastern women in this study are considered warriors that are successfully overcoming cultural‐bound impediments. This paper allows Middle Eastern women to express their voice in the ownership of their own bodies and in the decision taken in the practice of tattooing.

Jordanian women expatriates: additional challenges for global equality

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to address the main reasons that limit Jordanian women from undertaking expatriation, based on the assumption that Arab women’s opportunities for international engagement may be compromised by local cultural and institutional issues.Design/methodology/approachA cross-sectoral survey with 60 Jordanian expatriates (30 women and 20 men) located in EU countries and the UK is used to better explore Eastern women perceptions.FindingsCompany’s resistance, a lack of support mechanisms, safety in the destination country and family commitments play a major role in hindering Jordanian women opportunities to be assigned abroad, echoing the commonly recognized barriers identified in previous research. Additionally, the culture of the home country and prejudice toward foreigners act as an additional barrier for women professional development.Research limitations/implicationsThe main limitation of this study lies in the data collection instrument, that is, the survey. Larger samples are needed to extend these results. The second limitation is that the potential effects of gender differences cannot be examined because the number of men in the sample was small.Practical implicationsThe findings bring evidence that could be used by organizations to understand the barriers Jordanian expatriate women face and take informed action to tackle them. Meanwhile, more research on Middle Eastern female roles and views is needed to reduce stereotyping against them. Similarly, regional studies can be an opportunity for future development to identify the impact of the regional context.Social implicationsThis research highlights the intertwining of religious and cultural values in influencing Arabic women’s experience in international assignments and thus, would enhance readers’ understanding of women’s career progression in a new context.Originality/valueThis research shows that socio-cultural and political realities need more space in discussions about expatriation. Specifically, the expatriation literature needs more scrutiny and problematizing of the lived experiences of women expatriates from the Global South.

Saving the YPJ, saved by the YPJ: ambivalent agency and the legitimation of intervention in Syria

ABSTRACT Feminist and postcolonial international relations scholars have demonstrated that representations of Middle Eastern women are used to legitimize wars. This article explores a recent, novel instance of this phenomenon that occurred in Syria. The article argues that Western representations of Kurdish female fighters (members of the Women’s Protection Units, or YPJ) helped to legitimize Operation Inherent Resolve. The article first uses content analysis to demonstrate that Western media reporting about the group, which rendered the YPJ hyper-visible, reflects a change in the discourse, which, I argue, made this foreign policy possible. This is followed by a discourse analysis of English-language documentaries, supported by Turkish-language sources, to show how specifically gendered and Orientalist narratives legitimized Western intervention. I find that rather than being depicted as they are typically, as passive, silent victims (requiring liberation), YPJ women are instead depicted atypically as agentic (as liberators). I then contrast this discourse with original translations of YPJ members’ counter-articulations about their identity in their own words, and show that Kurdish female militants propose radically alternative, non- and anti-Western accounts of their politics. In light of the tension between these two discourses, the article suggests that Western accounts, although endowing agency, suppress possibilities for more subversive (postcolonial) forms of agency.

Mental health disorders among Middle Eastern immigrant women living in the United States: A scoping review.

This review aims to describethe up-to-date knowledge of the prevalence of mental health disorders among Middle Eastern immigrants women living in the United States (U.S.) and the factors affecting mental health status. High prevalence of mental health disorders and low utilization of mental health services among Middle Eastern immigrants were reported. The factors affecting mental health disorders included socio-demographics, immigration-related factors, and previous mental and physical health problems. Further research is needed to understand the factors affecting mental health disorders and attitudes associated with the utilization of mental health services among Middle Eastern women in the U.S.

Familial Frictions: Intersectional Inequalities Faced by Romani Queer Women

This article reviews the growing but still scarce scholarly work on queer Romani women in Eastern and Central Europe to highlight how economic and symbolic inequalities are inseparably intertwined and mutually strengthen each other in the case of this group. The review finds that cultural and symbolic injustices dominate the analysis of the situation of queer Romani women; economic deprivation is often mentioned when providing an overview of the situation of Romani people but is hardly ever brought up when the specific experiences of queer Romani people are discussed. The article zooms in on one area where the interplay between economic and symbolic inequality is pronounced: the central role of familism in the lives of Romani communities, and the detrimental impact it has on the situation of queer Romani women. The article also proposes a set of other mechanisms undermining the equality and well-being of queer Romani women where economic and symbolic inequalities are similarly intertwined.