Defining Desirability in the Romance Tour Industry: Why are Muslim Men Considered Undesirable?

• In Event: 362 - Section on Race, Gender, and Class Paper Session. The Business of Desire

Abstract

This article examines the opinions of Ukrainian and Filipina female participants in the romance tour industry regarding the desirability of Muslim men. In both Ukraine and the Philippines, intimate Muslim populations are often racialized as ‘other’, however, the discourse in both countries surrounding distant Muslim populations orientalize them as hyper-masculine, aggressive and sexually violent. Within the transnational political economy of desire, both Filipina and Ukrainian women continuously place Muslim men at the bottom of the hierarchy. Therefore, this article explores why Muslim men are designated as undesirable transnational husbands and how articulations of race, religion, gender, sexuality, nationality and ethnicity contribute to this designation. Based upon fieldwork and interviews conducted in the Philippines and Ukraine, I argue that Muslim men are considered undesirable as marriage partners for a number of reasons related to ideas regarding race, class and gender roles. Even though many distant Muslim men are associated with oil affluence and transnational mobility, this association does not help to increase Muslim men’s desirability within the international marriage market.

Author

• Julia Meszaros, Florida International University