Browsing by Author "Mahbubul Islam Bhuiyan"

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    Phallus, performance and power: Crisis of masculinity
    (2008-02-01) Sharful Islam Khan; Nancy Hudson-Rodd; Sherry Saggers; Mahbubul Islam Bhuiyan; Abbas Bhuiya; Syed Afzalul Karim; Oratai Rauyajin; International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh; Edith Cowan University, Joondalup; Dhaka Medical College and Hospital; Mahidol University
    Men's sexual health concerns (SHCs) receive inadequate attention in research and health interventions. We explored meanings of SHCs, particularly sexual performance, in a qualitative study on male sexuality in Bangladesh. Five focus group discussions with key-informants and 50 urban and rural men were interviewed. Male superiority and power over women were proclaimed as 'normal' and 'natural'. Men's authoritative relations with women affect sexual acts where 'real' men need to be sexually 'potent' to demonstrate 'sexual power' through sustained penile erections, penetration and prolonged sexual intercourse. Without adequate knowledge of human sexuality, men deem 'sex' as another agency of power, dominance and governance. Sexual performance with a large-sized penis symbolizes masculine power to control women. Narrowly focused penetrative male sexuality relies on performance, which destroys the quality of sexual life and equality in relationships. In a patriarchal society, the discrepancy of gender-biased socialization creates an essentialist framework of male sexuality where phallus, performance and power are at the core of men's SHCs, constructed in the context of market economy and technology. Thus, SHCs, products of men's threatened masculine power, need to be re-conceptualized before any effective health programs are designed.
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    'Semen contains vitality and heredity, not germs': Seminal discourse in the AIDS era
    (2006-12-01) Sharful Islam Khan; Nancy Hudson-Rodd; Sherry Saggers; Mahbubul Islam Bhuiyan; Abbas Bhuiya; Syed Afzalul Karim; Oratai Rauyajin; ICDDRB, Public Health Sciences Division; Edith Cowan University, Joondalup; Dhaka Medical College and Hospital; Mahidol University
    Perspectives of public health generally ignore culture-bound sexual health concerns, such as semen loss, and primarily attempt to eradicate sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Like in many other countries, sexual health concerns of men in Bangladesh have also received less attention compared to STIs in the era of AIDS. This paper describes the meanings of non-STI sexual health concerns, particularly semen loss, in the masculinity framework. In a qualitative study on male sexuality, 50 men, aged 18-55 years, from diverse sociodemographic backgrounds and 10 healthcare practitioners were interviewed. Men considered semen the most powerful and vital body fluid representing their sexual performance and reproductive ability. Rather than recognizing the vulnerability to transmission of STIs, concerns about semen were grounded in the desire of men to preserve and nourish seminal vitality. Traditional practitioners supported semen loss as a major sexual health concern where male heritage configures male sexuality in a patriarchal society. Currently, operating HIV interventions in the framework of disease and death may not ensure participation of men in reproductive and sexual health programmes and is, therefore, less likely to improve the quality of sexual life of men and women. © 2006 International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh.