Unsettling Gender Normativities through Dance and Music
The annual Istanbul LGBT Pride Week will kick off at the end of June in Turkey. For the 24th consecutive year, the event will incorporate the traditional parade which will…
Author: Iklim Goksel
On Exploring Masculinities in the Middle East
Nasreddin Hodja miniature at the Topkapı Palace Museum Library in İstanbul. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons “Eat, eat my fur coat,” said Nasreddin Hodja to criticize societal attitudes th…
Sensuality and Sexual Topographies in the Middle East and North Africa
Two Lovers by Reza Abbasi, Persian miniaturist 16th century. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons A rich intellectual engagement in matters related to sexuality occupies the histories of the Middle…
The Shah of Snakes
Why Shahmaran Matters Shahmaran. Photo courtesy Aynur Ocak-Gundogan Within the cultural fabric of Anatolia and the plains of Mesopotamia lies the story of Shahmaran, a beautiful woman with…