Motives for male circumcision among preliterate and literate peoples

Weiss, Charles F.

doi:10.1080/00224496609550503

Cited by 9 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Accordingly, non-circumcised boys, along with other males who are perceived to violate "real man" standards (gay, disabled, or poor men, for example) are stigmatized, ridiculed, and marginalized-both by circumcised men and by women and girls 24 -unless and until they comply with their prescribed socialization (Weiss, 1966;Rowanchilde, 1996;Martí, 2010;Mavundla et al, 2010;Mashabane and Henderson, 2020). Under such a regime, the only way to escape from this subordinated position (apart from suicide, which is not uncommon in the relevant contexts) is to undergo a painful genital cutting rite without flinching or showing signs of "weakness" (WHO, 2009).…”

Section: An Alternative Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genital Cutting as Gender Oppression: Time to Revisit the WHO Paradigm

Earp

2022

Front. Hum. Dyn.

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The World Health Organization (WHO) condemns all medically unnecessary female genital cutting (FGC) that is primarily associated with people of color and the Global South, claiming that such FGC violates the human right to bodily integrity regardless of harm-level, degree of medicalization, or consent. However, the WHO does not condemn medically unnecessary FGC that is primarily associated with Western culture, such as elective labiaplasty or genital piercing, even when performed by non-medical practitioners (e.g., body artists) or on adolescent girls. Nor does it campaign against any form of medically unnecessary intersex genital cutting (IGC) or male genital cutting (MGC), including forms that are non-consensual or comparably harmful to some types of FGC. These and other apparent inconsistencies risk undermining the perceived authority of the WHO to pronounce on human rights. This paper considers whether the WHO could justify its selective condemnation of non-Western-associated FGC by appealing to the distinctive role of such practices in upholding patriarchal gender systems and furthering sex-based discrimination against women and girls. The paper argues that such a justification would not succeed. To the contrary, dismantling patriarchal power structures and reducing sex-based discrimination in FGC-practicing societies requires principled opposition to medically unnecessary, non-consensual genital cutting of all vulnerable persons, including insufficiently autonomous children, irrespective of their sex traits or socially assigned gender. This conclusion is based, in part, on an assessment of the overlapping and often mutually reinforcing roles of different types of child genital cutting—FGC, MGC, and IGC—in reproducing oppressive gender systems. These systems, in turn, tend to subordinate women and girls as well as non-dominant males and sexual and gender minorities. The selective efforts of the WHO to eliminate only non-Western-associated FGC exposes the organization to credible accusations of racism and cultural imperialism and paradoxically undermines its own stated goals: namely, securing the long-term interests and equal rights of women and girls in FGC-practicing societies.

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Section: An Alternative Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genital Cutting as Gender Oppression: Time to Revisit the WHO Paradigm

Earp

2022

Front. Hum. Dyn.

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“…Given this new emphasis on recruiting men to be circumcised – and expanding circumcision to new regions with low circumcision prevalence (Brito et al, 2015; Brito, Luna, & Bailey, 2010; Ning et al, 2013; Tynan et al, 2013) – there is a need to better understand men's experiences with this intervention. Numerous ethnographic studies from societies across the world have documented the central role of circumcision in conferring masculinity to boys or young men and preparing them for adult male sexuality (Castro-Vázquez, 2013b; Gilmore, 1990; Silverman, 2004; Weiss, 1966). But, prior research on men receiving VMMC for HIV prevention has not yet examined the interrelationships between circumcision, male sexuality, and feelings of masculinity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“I Feel Like More of a Man”: A Mixed Methods Study of Masculinity, Sexual Performance, and Circumcision for HIV Prevention

Fleming

Barrington

Pearce

et al. 2016

The Journal of Sex Research

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Ethnographic studies from numerous societies have documented the central role of male circumcision in conferring masculinity and preparing boys for adult male sexuality. Despite this link between masculinity, sexuality, and circumcision, there has been no research on these dynamics among men who have received a circumcision for HIV prevention. We employed a mixed methods approach with data collected from recently circumcised men in the Dominican Republic (DR) to explore this link. We analyzed survey data collected 6-12 months post-circumcision (N = 293) and in-depth interviews with a sub-sample of those men (n = 30). We found that 42% of men felt more masculine post-circumcision. In multivariate analysis, feeling more masculine was associated with greater concern about being perceived as masculine (OR = 1.70, 95% CI: 1.25-2.32), feeling more potent erections post-circumcision (OR = 2.25, 95% CI: 1.26-4.03), and reporting increased ability to satisfy their partner post-circumcision (OR = 2.30, 95% CI: 1.11-4.77). In qualitative interviews, these factors were all related to masculine norms of sexually satisfying one's partner and men's experiences of circumcision were shaped by social norms of masculinity. This study highlights that circumcision is not simply a biomedical intervention and that circumcision programs need to incorporate considerations of masculine norms and male sexuality into their programming.

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“…In Xhosa culture, this tradition has been practised for more than a thousand years (Laidler, 1922: 13; Mtumane, 2004: 36). It is regarded as a process during which good moral values are instilled in boys as they graduate to be responsible men of the community (Pauw, 1994: 321; Weiss, 1966: 68). The amakhankatha (traditional guardians) have played the role of teaching, coaching and nursing the initiates while in the initiation process (Pauw, 1994: 321).…”

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confidence: 99%

Should Xhosa male initiation be abolished?

Ntombana

2011

International Journal of Cultural Studies

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The Xhosa male initiation practice, as it was viewed in the past, is discussed by focusing on its impact upon the initiates, its contribution to the moral upholding of values and its role in promoting the values of 'ubuntu'. The present circumstances surrounding the initiation practice are also evaluated. The outcry of Church and other leaders, who are calling for the practice to be abolished, is recognized. The author asserts that, because of the importance of this practice to Xhosa culture, calling for its abolition is not a solution. It is suggested that the practice rather be redefined to better contribute to the broader challenges of moral regeneration in South Africa.Keywords amakhankatha (traditional guardians), amakrwala (new men), amaXhosa (Xhosa tribe), ikhankatha (traditional guardian), ikrwala (new man, a man from the initiation practice), ingcibi (traditional surgeon), isiko (custom or rite), isithethe (common practice), ubuntu (humanity), umthetho (law)

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Motives for male circumcision among preliterate and literate peoples

Cited by 9 publications

References 6 publications

Genital Cutting as Gender Oppression: Time to Revisit the WHO Paradigm

Genital Cutting as Gender Oppression: Time to Revisit the WHO Paradigm

“I Feel Like More of a Man”: A Mixed Methods Study of Masculinity, Sexual Performance, and Circumcision for HIV Prevention

Should Xhosa male initiation be abolished?

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