Browsing by Author "Momani, Bessma"

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Between worlds: Cis-and trans-identifying diaspora Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) women in Ontario, Canada on the intersections of gender, sexuality and sexual health
(Public Library of Science (PLOS), 2024) Kteily-Hawa, Roula; Falenchuk, Olesya; Momani, Bessma; Chikermane, Vijaya; Bartels, Susan; Anand, Praney; Younes, Rania; Abdel-Tawab, Nahla; Abuelezam, Nadia N.; Hammad, Lina; Pahlevan, Tina; Eloulabi, Rama; Ezzeddine, Ahmad; Al-Ezzawi, Anmar; Akel, Mohammed; Loutfy, Mona
Youth Sexual Health and HIV/STI Prevention in Middle Eastern and North African Communities (YSMENA) is the first community-based research study in Canada to explore key determinants of sexual health among diaspora Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) women living in Canada. Our objectives were to identify the factors influencing sexual health for MENA youth and grow an evidence base to strengthen the sexual health response for MENA communities. Using mixed-method design, data were gathered through a quantitative socio-demographic survey and qualitative focus groups with 24 women-identifying MENA youth (16-29 years) living in Ontario, Canada. Six (6) focus groups were held virtually via Zoom, with heterosexual, lesbian, bisexual and queer (LBQ), and trans women. Members of each group participated in two sessions as per the sequential critical dialogical method and transcripts were coded in NVIVO. While participants identified with diverse sexual orientations and across the trans-feminine gender spectrum, key commonalities surfaced, namely the pressures to conform to familial expectations and the barriers faced when accessing healthcare. The trans group experienced compounded levels of exclusion given their unique positioning. Although the challenges faced by the group were deeply entrenched in patriarchy, heteronormativity and internalized shame, many participants demonstrated resilience and self-acceptance that enabled them to forge pathways to health. Findings have important and valuable implications for community-based health programs targeting MENA women as well as healthcare practitioners and service providers.
Representations of Violent Women in Popular Culture and World Politics: The Mothers, Monsters, Whores, and Penitents of Young Adult Fantasy
(University of Waterloo, 2018-08-21) Lopour, Jacqueline; Momani, Bessma; Ettinger, Aaron
As young adult fiction has surged in popularity over the past decade, a popular new sub-genre has emerged. These novels feature high-fantasy stories with young female heroines who are fighters, assassins, spies, and rebel leaders. In this paper, I argue that representations of women’s violence in these stories have implications for global politics. Although these young-adult heroines are intended to serve as examples of female empowerment, the characters reflect dominant social, academic, and political narratives that depict violent women as either mothers, monsters, or whores (Sjoberg and Gentry 2007). Into this conversation I introduce a fourth narrative, that of penitent, which portrays women's political violence as an unnatural, transitional state to be ultimately rejected. This paper explores how three bestselling young adult fantasy series engage with these narratives and argues that—despite their feminist intentions—these novels reflect, reinforce and strengthen gender subordinating narratives that undermine the agency of violent women.
A Vicious Cycle: An Examination of How the Feedback Loop Between Coup-proofing and Regime Insecurity Helped Facilitate the Rise of Pro-Government Militias in the Syrian Conflict
(University of Waterloo, 2021-09-16) Mohamad, Nizar; Momani, Bessma; Lanoszka, Alexander
This thesis explores the emergence of pro-government militias (PGMs) within the context of the post-2011 intrastate conflict in Syria. It investigates the factors that contributed to the breakdown of Syria’s armed forces during their counterinsurgency (COIN) campaign. By inquiring into the mechanisms that drove the unravelling of Syria’s coercive machinery, this thesis sheds light on why the regime of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad specifically resorted to leveraging irregular forces to which security functions conventionally reserved for the state were outsourced. As such, this thesis asks the following research question: What are the drivers underpinning the employment of PGMs in the post-2011 Syrian conflict? This thesis progresses in four main parts. First, it introduces the purpose, relevance, and methodology of the research, followed by a literature review that engages with the scholarly work surrounding the use of PGMs in COIN settings. Second, it highlights how Syrian President Bashar al-Assad coup-proofed his coercive forces, prioritizing coup risk mitigation over military effectiveness. The subordination of their coercive institutions in accordance with strategies deliberately intended to divide them resulted in a dysfunctional security sector that third, was incapable of cohesively performing combatively and withstanding the advances of insurgents once the uprising had militarized. Fourth, it demonstrates that as the Syrian regime became more insecure, it outsourced greater functions to PGMs in order to compensate for the depletion of the state’s official armed and security forces. This thesis ultimately argues that a vicious cycle between coup-proofing and regime insecurity created a feedback loop that motivated the Syrian regime to resort to incorporating PGMs into its COIN effort.