The Female Circumcision Controversy

An Anthropological Perspective

Author: Ellen Gruenbaum
ISBN: 9780812217469

To the Western eye, there is something jarringly incongruous, even shocking, about the image of a six-year-old girl being held down by loving relatives so that her genitals can be cut. Yet two million girls experience this each year. Most Westerners, upon learning of the practice of female circumcision, have responded with outrage; those committed to improving the status of women have gone beyond outrage to action by creating various programs for "eradicating" the practice. But few understand the real life complexities families face in deciding whether to follow the traditional practices or to take the risk of change.In The Female Circumcision Controversy, Ellen Gruenbaum points out that Western outrage and Western efforts to stop genital mutilation often provoke a strong backlash from people in the countries where the practice is common. She looks at the validity of Western arguments against the practice. In doing so, she explores both outsider and insider perspectives on female circu

Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
Publish Date: 2001

Subjects: Social Science / Anthropology / General, Social Science / Anthropology / Cultural, Social Science / Anthropology / Physical, Social Science / Gender Studies

This book is available in the following Community Centers: Women's Center (Location: Global Feminism)