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In recent years, women in the Arab world have contended with a tumultuous political and economic times that resulted in revolutions, wars, collapsed economies, and rapidly shifting religious and cultural landscapes. This special issue of Al-Raida on Women's Health in the Arab World calls for papers addressing women's health and experiences of health care in the Arab region. It is especially concerned with women's health in the context of these changing, and increasingly westernized, health systems.It is the hope of this Special Issue to consider health as a site of contestation where local and global cultural, political, and economic forces compete, and often stand in opposition to women's agency. We are interested in papers that address some of the following questions: how do women reconcile their desires about their fertility with their economic, cultural, and political realities in nations that are experiencing collapsed economies and political conflict? How do women negotiate birthing regimes (traditional versus technocratic) in an increasingly globalized environment? What are the reasons behind the increasing rates of cosmetic surgeries, and how do women negotiate the competing notions of bodily aesthetics and marriage prospects?In this Special Issue, we hope to provide a forum for researchers to share their knowledge and expertise on women's health in the Arab World from an interdisciplinary perspective. We welcome papers from all disciplines including anthropology, sociology, demography, political science, and economics.We welcome papers that address the following:Social construction of illnesses and diseasesStress and the pharmaceutical industryMental Health, depression, and anxietyPregnancy, delivery and the medicalization of birthDemographic shifts and governmental natalist policiesMinority women's health and access to careCosmetic surgeriesFemale genital cutting/mutilation/circumcisionHealth-seeking behaviorGender inequity and healthReligious interpretations and access to health careChronic diseasesCancerIn addition to academic papers we would also like to include critical pieces, testimonials, personal essays, interviews, short stories, poems, conference reports, and book reviews.Submitted papers should be prepared in English in MS Word and should adhere to the journal's submission guidelines. Research articles should be between 6000-8000 words, including notes and references. They should be accompanied by an abstract of 200 words and include 5 to 6 keywords. The article must contain a separate title page that should include: the title of the paper; the name(s) and affiliation(s) of the author(s); full contact details of the author(s); and the author's brief biographical statement (up to 40 words). Papers should not have already been published, or be simultaneously submitted for publication elsewhere.The editorial committee of Al-Raida will inform the author within 6 to 8 weeks of submission whether or not the article will be sent out for refereeing. A decision about acceptability for publication will usually be taken within 12 weeks of submission to the reviewers. Submitted articles will be sent anonymously to two different reviewers. Acceptance of articles for publication will then be subject to modification as suggested by the reviewers.Articles submitted for publication should be sent directly to the guest editor Marianne Sarkis at the following address: msarkis@clarku.edu and to the managing editor, Ms. Myriam Sfeir, atmyriam.sfeir@lau.edu.lbFor full details kindly visit the following website at&#160;http://iwsaw.lau.edu.lbDeadline for complete manuscripts: May 30, 2013