Dr Elham Amini's book, 'Menopause in Iranian Muslim Women, Gendered and Sexual Experiences of Menopausal Women' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2023), has been selected for a Doody’s Special Topics List identifying the best titles on the topic of Menopause & Perimenopausal Care for health sciences library collections.
About the book
This book offers an original empirical study into the gendered and sexual experiences of Iranian Muslim women going through menopause. Using a biographical lifecourse lens, it explores the processes through which these experiences are shaped by hegemonic gender norms, as well as how these women express their agency. Centering the voices of Iranian Muslim women, this book links sexuality, ageing, and the body to the matter of menopause, conceived here as a gendered, embodied and lived phenomenon characterised both by cultural constraint and by individual reflexive body techniques. By considering gender and sexuality as vectors of power with internal politics, inequalities, and oppression alongside embodied practice, the author shows how the life course provides a trajectory of sex and sexuality that routes both in time, space, social and cultural context.
(abstract courtesy Springer Nature)
Recognition and impact
Dr Elham Amini received the following message in November 2025:
“Your book has been selected for a Doody’s Special Topics List identifying the best titles on the topic of Menopause & Perimenopausal Care for health sciences library collections. The selection team was comprised of four seasoned health information professionals: Leslie Christensen, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Jamie Conklin, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill; Billie Anne Gebb, Frontier Nursing University; and Sarah Hutton, UMass Chan Medical School. Xan Goodman, University of Nevada-Las Vegas served as Board Liaison.
Congratulations! We’re delighted to have published your book and look forward to witnessing its impact.” – Rebecca Longtin, Gender Studies editor at Palgrave Macmillan
About Doody's Special Topics Lists
Doody’s Special Topics Lists are adjudicated book lists on high impact, timely, and interdisciplinary topics that aim to enhance the collection development efforts of health sciences librarians.
Published quarterly on topics selected by an Editorial Board of North American librarians, Doody’s Special Topics Lists have addressed topics such as health equity, telehealth, and the cost of health care, among other specialized topics. List selectors are experienced, Board-nominated librarians and information professionals with a knowledge and passion for the area in which they are selecting.
You can learn more about Doody’s Special Topics Lists at www.doodyenterprises.net/doodys-special-topics-lists.