The Orient Enters the West: Sexual Symbolism of Empire in Contemproary "Sheikh" Romance Novels

• In Event: 474 - Section on Race, Gender and Class Paper Session. Representations of Race, Class, and Gender in Popular Culture and Media

Abstract

In this paper I examine the publisher descriptions of 186 “sheikh” romance novels published between 2000 and 2014. I consider the dramatic rise in these publications in the early 2000s and consider how the context of the “Global War on Terror” may affect the popularity and meanings of these novels. I use the discussions of Orientalism and the colonial regulation of sexuality to explore these novels. I investigate themes in the depictions of men and women in this novels, including race and nationality, gender norms, and sexual experience. I then consider the sexual content of these novels focusing on the tendency to publish these novels in more sexually explicit “lines” as well as themes of sexual initiation and non-consensual sexual relationships. I conclude with a discussion of the parallels and challenges these novels present to understanding of sex and empire.

Author

• Michelle L. Sandhoff, Indiana University