Le contrôle du corps des femmes à travers l’histoire. Essai de mise en perspective de la question de la santé sexuelle et reproductive des femmes dans le monde arabe

The control of women's bodies is as old as the male domination itself, all turned towards a central goal, the control of motherhood. This control is exercised according to particular modalities in different civilizations but always aims to control female sexuality so as to ensure the reproducti...

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Main Author: Sophie Bessis
Format: Article
Language:fra
Published: CNRS Éditions 2017-11-01
Series:L’Année du Maghreb
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/anneemaghreb/3151
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author Sophie Bessis
author_facet Sophie Bessis
author_sort Sophie Bessis
collection DOAJ
description The control of women's bodies is as old as the male domination itself, all turned towards a central goal, the control of motherhood. This control is exercised according to particular modalities in different civilizations but always aims to control female sexuality so as to ensure the reproductive function for the benefit of the group of males. The customary practices of the most diverse societies have focused on codifying the terms of control. As for religions, especially the three monotheistic religions, but not only, they served to sanctify the processes of domination through which patriarchal control is exercised. Religions and customs intertwined, one reinforcing the others, thus constructed normative devices of domination. Thus they legislate all on the bodies of women, enclosing the latter in a corset of obligations and prohibitions. The symbolic valorization of maternal function and the demonization of femininity are part of this apparatus of constraint. This corset was forced to yield (more or less) to secularized and secularized societies where religious prohibitions were gradually disconnected from the positive law. While in Europe, advances have been proportional to secularization processes, the prohibitions resist in the Arab world given the slowness of these processes and the regressions that may have affected them. We will review the multiplicity of religious injunctions to procreation and prohibitions on the reproductive and sexual autonomy of women. We will focus more on their permanence in the Arab-Muslim context, to show that the secularization of laws and social practices is a necessary condition for the full exercise of women's sexual rights, even if it is not enough to ensure this liberation alone.
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spelling doaj.art-cfe9b160f67743a686cd1f2a294d681b2024-02-13T14:55:28ZfraCNRS ÉditionsL’Année du Maghreb1952-81082109-94052017-11-0117213010.4000/anneemaghreb.3151Le contrôle du corps des femmes à travers l’histoire. Essai de mise en perspective de la question de la santé sexuelle et reproductive des femmes dans le monde arabeSophie BessisThe control of women's bodies is as old as the male domination itself, all turned towards a central goal, the control of motherhood. This control is exercised according to particular modalities in different civilizations but always aims to control female sexuality so as to ensure the reproductive function for the benefit of the group of males. The customary practices of the most diverse societies have focused on codifying the terms of control. As for religions, especially the three monotheistic religions, but not only, they served to sanctify the processes of domination through which patriarchal control is exercised. Religions and customs intertwined, one reinforcing the others, thus constructed normative devices of domination. Thus they legislate all on the bodies of women, enclosing the latter in a corset of obligations and prohibitions. The symbolic valorization of maternal function and the demonization of femininity are part of this apparatus of constraint. This corset was forced to yield (more or less) to secularized and secularized societies where religious prohibitions were gradually disconnected from the positive law. While in Europe, advances have been proportional to secularization processes, the prohibitions resist in the Arab world given the slowness of these processes and the regressions that may have affected them. We will review the multiplicity of religious injunctions to procreation and prohibitions on the reproductive and sexual autonomy of women. We will focus more on their permanence in the Arab-Muslim context, to show that the secularization of laws and social practices is a necessary condition for the full exercise of women's sexual rights, even if it is not enough to ensure this liberation alone.https://journals.openedition.org/anneemaghreb/3151controlbodywomensexual and reproductive healtharabic world
spellingShingle Sophie Bessis
Le contrôle du corps des femmes à travers l’histoire. Essai de mise en perspective de la question de la santé sexuelle et reproductive des femmes dans le monde arabe
L’Année du Maghreb
control
body
women
sexual and reproductive health
arabic world
title Le contrôle du corps des femmes à travers l’histoire. Essai de mise en perspective de la question de la santé sexuelle et reproductive des femmes dans le monde arabe
title_full Le contrôle du corps des femmes à travers l’histoire. Essai de mise en perspective de la question de la santé sexuelle et reproductive des femmes dans le monde arabe
title_fullStr Le contrôle du corps des femmes à travers l’histoire. Essai de mise en perspective de la question de la santé sexuelle et reproductive des femmes dans le monde arabe
title_full_unstemmed Le contrôle du corps des femmes à travers l’histoire. Essai de mise en perspective de la question de la santé sexuelle et reproductive des femmes dans le monde arabe
title_short Le contrôle du corps des femmes à travers l’histoire. Essai de mise en perspective de la question de la santé sexuelle et reproductive des femmes dans le monde arabe
title_sort le controle du corps des femmes a travers l histoire essai de mise en perspective de la question de la sante sexuelle et reproductive des femmes dans le monde arabe
topic control
body
women
sexual and reproductive health
arabic world
url https://journals.openedition.org/anneemaghreb/3151
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