Gender and cultural understandings in medical nonindicated interventions: A critical discussion of attitudes toward nontherapeutic male circumcision and hymen (re)construction

Coene, Gily; Saharso, Sawitri

doi:10.1177/1477750919836642

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Ahmadu, 2000; Arora and Jacobs, 2016; Cohen, 1997; Gordon, 2018; Onsongo, 2017; Van Howe, 2011) or (2) whether boys should be granted the same human rights as girls with the ritual cutting of their genitalia being regarded as a breach of the right to bodily integrity (e.g. Coene, 2018; Earp, 2016; Fox and Thomson, 2009; Johnson, 2010; Munzer, 2015; Shahvisi, 2016). In order to explore how discourses of FGC blend into understandings of MC, in this article we build on the slippery slope argument and the concept of ‘mapping controversies’ associated with actor–network theory (Latour, 2005; Lewis, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Why did I circumcise him?’ Unexpected comparisons to male circumcision in a qualitative study on female genital cutting among Kurdish–Norwegians

et al. 2020

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Based on fieldwork that aimed to gather more knowledge on female genital cutting among Kurdish–Norwegians, in this article we report on how research participants would often talk about male circumcision instead. Informed by current scholarship and public discourse on female genital cutting and male circumcision, we identified three themes when analysing how and why the participants would talk about male circumcision rather than female genital cutting: (1) the condemnation of female genital cutting; (2) the acceptability of male circumcision and (3) the questioning of the acceptability of male circumcision. We do not attempt to provide solutions to whether some forms of male circumcision are less, equally or more harmful than some forms of female genital cutting, or whether they are comparable and both should thus either be legitimized or banned. Rather we aim to provide insights into these dilemmas by the use of the concept of ‘mapping controversies’ associated with actor–network theory. We further make use of the slippery slope argument to explore how the research participants’ views shed light on political reluctance to treat female genital cutting and male circumcision in the same way in the Norwegian context. While we are not in a position to say that the views shared are the same in other social groups, or in other countries, we argue that the Norwegian government’s different treatment of female genital cutting and male circumcision changes the meaning of ritual boy circumcision and that this may result in parents deciding not to circumcise their sons.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Why did I circumcise him?’ Unexpected comparisons to male circumcision in a qualitative study on female genital cutting among Kurdish–Norwegians

et al. 2020

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“…Although these studies present valuable literature on the influence of modernity on culture, they do not examine how modernity leads to the hybridization of culture as communities negotiate their identity. Coene (2018) has written about the issue of changes in male circumcision in Europe due to modernization and illustrates that the practice has become a subject of legal, political, and ethical controversies since 2012. The author cites the case where a Cologne court sentenced a doctor who circumcised a four-year-old male who developed severe bleeding (Coene, 2018).…”

Section: Empirical Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Coene (2018) has written about the issue of changes in male circumcision in Europe due to modernization and illustrates that the practice has become a subject of legal, political, and ethical controversies since 2012. The author cites the case where a Cologne court sentenced a doctor who circumcised a four-year-old male who developed severe bleeding (Coene, 2018). Whether male circumcision is a violation of human rights continues to pose a challenge in the ever-changing socio-environment.…”

Section: Empirical Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Negotiating Identity: The Intersection of Colonialism, Christianity, and Male Circumcision Among the Abagusii

Haron,

Onyambu,

Nyamwaka

et al. 2024

East Afr. j. trad. cult. relig.

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This paper examines how the Abagusii navigated the imposition of colonial and Christian ideologies on their traditional practices. It highlights the community's strategies for preserving cultural identity while adapting to external pressures, focusing on male circumcision as a key cultural practice. Before the colonial intervention, male circumcision held profound cultural significance, serving as a pivotal rite of passage into manhood within the Abagusii community. However, the imposition of colonial rule and the influence of Christian missionaries led to significant transformations in the practice, disrupting its traditional meaning and social functions. Anchored on social diffusion theory, the paper traces the historical evolution of male circumcision among the Abagusii, detailing the shifts from traditional rituals to more modern practices influenced by colonial and Christian ideologies. It provides a chronological analysis of how these external forces gradually reshaped a pivotal cultural institution. The researchers applied a qualitative research design and a qualitative approach to collecting data from the study participants. The study used a purposive sampling method to recruit 30 participants from the study sites. Data was analysed descriptively and presented in the form of themes. It was also revealed that the introduction of Western medicine and education influenced the community's perceptions of health and hygiene, prompting a shift towards medically supervised circumcision procedures. Furthermore, despite external pressures, the Abagusii community adapted by integrating some elements of colonial and Christian practices into their traditional rites. This resulted in a hybrid form of circumcision that retained cultural significance while conforming to new norms. The study concludes that the evolution of male circumcision practices among the Abagusii of Southwestern Kenya under the influence of colonialism and Christianity illustrates a complex interplay between tradition and modernity. While colonial and missionary interventions aimed to suppress traditional rites, the community's adaptive responses ensured the survival and transformation of these practices. The study recommends future policies and interventions related to traditional practices that prioritize cultural sensitivity and community engagement. Understanding and respecting the cultural significance of practices like circumcision can foster more effective and sustainable changes

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“…Claims for the preservation of a pristine cultural practice are thus always rhetorical, as are claims for the inevitability of progress that modernity brings. 84 However, what is of interest is what the collision of rhetorics reveals about a society in transition and its forces of dominance, marginalization and exclusion. 85 Government itself has not emerged as uniformly or unproblematically positioned on the side of progress and western modernity.…”

Section: Political Epistemology Versus Culture and Authenticitymentioning

confidence: 99%

On the Political Epistemology of Female Circumcision in Africa

Ekong¹

2022

EJPCR

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Purpose: The sensitization which this discussion engenders, has the objective of instituting an ever more formidable resilience in the advocacy against female genital mutilation (FGM) around the globe. Methodology: Besides the expository, analytic and evaluative character of this work, a particular effort is made to unveil the political and epistemological trappings that undergird the condemnable, but on-going practice of female genital mutilation in different parts of the world, especially in the continent of Africa. Findings: Some people point out that the word "cutting" is less judgmental and relates better to terms used in many local languages. However, many women's health and human rights organizations use the word "mutilation," not only to describe the practice, but also to point out the violation of women's human rights. Unique Contribution to theory, practice and policy (recommendation): Ritual circumcision of young males and females is a practice seen in many cultures across the world, including sub-Saharan and North Africa, the Muslim Middle East, the Jewish diaspora, Aboriginal Australia, the Pacific Islands, Southeast Asia, etc. This work discuses female circumcision as “female genital mutilation” and rejects the view proposed by some that its practice is culturally and ethically relative. All three terms, female genital cutting (FGC), female circumcision, or female genital mutilation (FGM) describe the procedure that cuts away part or all of the external female genitalia and are used to describe the same thing, that is, mutilation. Some people fear that parents may resent the implication that they are "mutilating" their daughters by participating in this largely cultural event, and so reject the term FGM in favour of FGC.

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Gender and cultural understandings in medical nonindicated interventions: A critical discussion of attitudes toward nontherapeutic male circumcision and hymen (re)construction

Cited by 8 publications

References 44 publications

‘Why did I circumcise him?’ Unexpected comparisons to male circumcision in a qualitative study on female genital cutting among Kurdish–Norwegians

‘Why did I circumcise him?’ Unexpected comparisons to male circumcision in a qualitative study on female genital cutting among Kurdish–Norwegians

Negotiating Identity: The Intersection of Colonialism, Christianity, and Male Circumcision Among the Abagusii

On the Political Epistemology of Female Circumcision in Africa

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