logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2013
53m 20s

Shereen El Feki - Sex and the Citadel

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE
About this episode

As political change sweeps the streets, parliaments and presidential palaces of the Arab world, Shereen El Feki has been looking at the upheaval inside the family home -- specifically, in the bedroom, and the sexual lives of Arab men and women. Sex is entwined in religion and tradition, politics and economics, making it the perfect lens for examining the region's complex social landscape.

Shereen El Feki is an award-winning journalist with The Economist, and a broadcaster and writer who began her career in medical science before becoming the vice-chair of the UN's Global Commission on HIV and the Law.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Jul 19
Heterofatalism | All About Women 2026
The term “heterofatalism” has gone mainstream, capturing a growing pessimism around straight romance, and it’s influencing everything from dating app use to the quiet rise of celibacy.Straight women are exhausted by underwhelming dates, constant safety calculations and endless em ... Show More
1h 2m
Jul 12
Deborah Cheetham Fraillon | All About Women 2026
Deborah Cheetham Fraillon is an Australian arts trailblazer, but a career in music was not something her family had imagined for her. Growing up in Sydney, Deborah always loved music, but when she experienced Opera for the first time — everything changed. Deborah went on to have ... Show More
1h 2m
Jul 5
After Birth | All About Women 2026
New Motherhood is a time of overwhelming joy and love — but alongside those experiences, many new mothers also face exhaustion, emotional extremes, anxiety and profound changes in their mental health.The much rarer cousin of postpartum depression, postpartum psychosis affects one ... Show More
57m 36s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2024
Sex in the Arab World l Shereen El Feki
<p>"If you really want to know people, you start by looking inside their bedroom". Today, I talk to journalist and author, Shereen El Feki on what goes behind closed doors in the Arab world. We are diving into sensitive topics, such as the sexual evolution in the region, sex in I ... Show More
54m 36s
Mar 2021
Sexuality, Gender and Sexual Education in Middle East with Rana El Aaraj
Rana El Aaraj joins us in a conversation around sexuality and gender in the Middle East. Rana breaks down the current state of sexual education and gender identity in the Arab world. We also discuss why labels matter, and debate how we could work towards a more inclusive society. ... Show More
34m 24s
May 2021
Women of the Arab Spring
<p>A decade after the uprisings that changed the political landscape of many countries in North Africa and the Middle East, Kim Chakanetsa looks at what impact the Arab uprisings had on the lives of women in Egypt and Syria. </p><p>Mona Eltahawy is an Egyptian-American author and ... Show More
27m 26s
Mar 2021
Dr Sandrine Attallah on The Dividing and Unifying Role of Media
Dr Sandrine Atallah is a consultant in sexual medicine, a certified psychosexologist and a hypnotherapist. She is also the host of her own podcast, Hakeh Sareeh, where she provides scientific information about sex, sexuality and gender to the Arab world. Despite the fundamental w ... Show More
33m 59s
Jan 2017
Bad sex, 'the Malala effect', layers of place
With Stig Abell and Thea Lenarduzzi – Eimear McBride on the dark side of bad sex writing and why a new anthology is nothing to be snickered at; Diana Darke on the stories of two young women who have fled war in the Middle East and the new pressures they face; and Jenny Hendrix jo ... Show More
45m 43s
Nov 2021
FWD: “Gazbia Sirry- When Modern Arab Form Meets Politics” [Community Presentation]
In this afikra FWD, Laila Karaman talked about "Gazbia Sirry- When Modern Arab Form Meets Politics" by Fatenn Mostafa-Kanafani. Laila discusses the themes in Sirry's artwork which are polygamy, gender preference/roles, gender equality, occupation/civil rights, and new political e ... Show More
11m 25s
Nov 2023
EP 1 - The Unicorn
It's 2011, and the Arab Spring is being documented by a heady mixture of up-to-the-minute citizen reporting, tweeting and blogging. One particular voice begins to stand out — the Gay Girl in Damascus — Amina Arraf. On her blog, Amina describes herself as an out lesbian with a pas ... Show More
35m 9s
Mar 2021
Editor & Associate Professor of History Sherene Seikaly [afikra Conversation]
We talked to Sherene Seikaly, a historian of capitalism, consumption, and development in the modern Middle East, about her book "Men of Capital: Scarcity and Economy in Mandate Palestine", her work as editor for Jadaliyya, Journal of Palestine Studies, and Arab Studies Journal. C ... Show More
54m 26s
Oct 2019
Elif Shafak on the urgent power of storytelling
Best-selling author Elif Shafak proves that storytelling can be profoundly political—and makes the case for embracing uncertainty in turbulent times.We're doing a TED Interview survey! If you have a few minutes, we'd love to know your thoughts on the show. Find it at: surveynerds ... Show More
1h 1m