Female Genital Mutilation

        What follows is a two-part file of WMST-L messages dealing with female 
genital mutilation.  Part 1 contains several threads of messages from 1994;
Part 2 contains messages from 1997.  Of related interest is the WMST-L file
Incorporating FGM into Courses .  It includes more specific content and 
bibliographic information on several of the books mentioned below.  For 
additional WMST-L files now available on the Web, see the WMST-L File List.

PAGE 1 OF 2 

 
I have a student in my Gender & the Law seminar who wishes to write about
female genital mutilation, a topic which I know little about.  Any help
with general sources will be appreciated.  Please respond to me
privately, thank you.
 
Nancy Ota
 
ota  @  law.georgetown.edu
tel: (202) 662-9372

 
Alice Walker has a new book and a documentary film out about this subject,
I believe you should be able to locate the book whose title escapes me at
this moment at any large bookstore, and the address for the documentary is
in there. good luck. constance shortldige

 
The title of Alice Walker's book on FGM is POSSESSING THE SECRET
OF JOY      JAM

 
  Alice Walker's new book on the subject of female mutilation is
    Possessing the Secret of Joy, I think.  However, I have heard she
    has still another book on the subject, so I culd be talking about
    the wrong book. pw

 
the book is called WARRIOR MARKS

 
The Alice Walker book is Possessing the Secret of Joy.  However, it is very
"western".  I'm not sure if I would start there.   Although I'm not an expert
on the subject, there must be some other books which are less one-sided about
the topic.
 
Lesley Wiseman
WISEMANL  @  Kenyon.edu

 
Dear Ms. Wiseman,
 
I have to admit I have'nt read Ms. Walker's recent book--Possessing
the Secret of Joy, however, I have read several of her book reviews.  There
is nothing "western" about female circumcision.  Its a nasty, barbaric
act that needs to be openly criticized.
 
I would recommend anyone interested in understanding the subject to read
Ms. Walker's book first.  It is an objective analysis on how women--for what-
ever reason-- mutilate and scare their children for life.
 
ERISA OJIMBA
EOJIMBA  @  UGA.CC.UGA.EDU

 
There is also a sequel to this book by Walker. It is more on the lines
of documentary research, and is jointly edited with another woman.
Benay Blend   Blend  @  nsula.edu

 
From what I understand, the Walker book IS controversial because of its
"western" posture--Linda McNealy-STrong has written a dissertation on
this subject which treats Walker and two African writers on the same
subject. Sorry, I have forgotten where she is now, but she WILL be at
Southern Illinois University, I think, in the fall. Robin Martin.
 
Roberta C Martin, assistant professor
East Carolina University
English
GCB 2112 Greenville, NC 27858 (919) 757-6721
Bitnet: ENMARTIN  @  ECUVM1   Internet: ENMARTIN  @  ECUVM.CIS.ECU.EDU

 
in the book "the hidden face of eve" by nawal el saadawi, she gives
a personal account of circumcision in part 1, titled "the
mutilated half".  rather than it being written from a western
point of view, it is written by a woman in the arab world, with
a first hand account.
 
rubina
rramji  @  aix1.uottawa.ca

 
There is also a recent book describing the making of the video. I believe
it is called Warrior Marks.
 
On Fri, 25 Feb 1994, JoAnne Myers wrote:
 
> The title of Alice Walker's book on FGM is POSSESSING THE SECRET
> OF JOY      JAM

 
One of the earliest feminists to report in the U.S. on genital mutilation
was Fran Hosken; much of what was first published in her newsletter
_Women's International Network News_ was then pulled together in a book called
_The Hosken Report: Genital and Sexual Mutilation of Females_.  A second
edition was published in 1979, under the auspices of WIN News.  While
much new thinking and consultation has happened since then, this work has an
important place in the evolution of attention to, and information about,
the topic.
 
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
Sarah Pritchard
Smith College Libraries
413-585-2902
spritchard  @  smith.smith.edu

 
>One of the earliest feminists to report in the U.S. on genital
>mutilation was Fran Hosken; much of what was first published in her
>newsletter _Women's International Network News_ was then pulled
>together in a book called _The Hosken Report: Genital and Sexual
>Mutilation of Females_.
 
Well, if we're thinking of history, don't forget Mary Daly's chapter
about this practice in GYN/ECOLOGY (1978), and Audre Lorde's letter to
Mary Daly (published in SISTER OUTSIDER, 1983) taking Mary Daly to
task for imposing white American standards on African practices which
Audre Lorde claimed that Mary Daly did not understand within their cultural
contexts.
----------- Ruth Ginzberg (rginzberg  @  eagle.wesleyan.edu) ------------

 
Hanny Lightfoot Klein has written a number of journal articles (see The
Journal of Sex Research etc.) as well as at least one book on female
genital mutilation (or circumciscion) the latter of which was published by
Haworth.  She has done extensive psychological and anthropological research
on the topic in areas of North Africa where the practice is most extreme (e
.g. infibulation or sewing up the girl's labia to a pinhole size opening as
well as destruction of the labia and clitoris).  This is a more extreme and
debilitating practice than in West Africa (which is described by Walker) or
the sunna circumscision described by others like Nawal el Saddawi (forgive
my spelling) which involves partial or at most complete removal of the
clitoris.  Medical as well as sexual complications are more severe although
some women retain orgasmic response (albeit a weaker response).  Klein
writes very well and I am sure list readers will appreciate her work.
 
Naomi McCormick
President Elect
The Society for the Scientific Study of SEx
 
******************************************************************
Naomi B. McCormick
Dept. Psychology
State University of New York College at Plattsburgh
Plattsburgh, NY 12901 USA                              @    @    @    @    @    @    @    @  
                                                      @    @          @    @  
Telephone (518) 564-3076; 564-3382                  @    @    @   (A  A)   @    @    @  
      FAX (518) 564-7827                            @    @    @      L     @    @    @  
                                                   % \  {}  / %
E-mail    MCCORMNB  @  SNYPLAVA.BITNET                     ----
          MCCORMNB  @  SPLAVA.CC.PLATTSBURGH.EDU           |  |
                                                     /******\

 
Dear Erisa-
 
If you haven't read it you don't know.  Also,  I don't think Walker's book is a
good starting point because it merely condemns genital mutilation without
providing any analitical discussion of it.  Therefore, it seems like a bad
starting place for a research paper.  If you think I condone this
practice, you are completely wrong.  I just have a problem with western
feminists who preach against  "third world" practices (ie; the vail) without
considering the social context, etc. of the practice.
 
Lesley Wiseman
WISEMANL  @  Kenyon.edu

 
The most recent issue of Off Our Backs has an interesting letter
commenting on Alice Walker's film from an African woman working with
other African women to stop the practice.  She critiques Walker's
approach and asks if eliciting horror and condemnation of 1st worlders
towards what she sees as a monolithically constructed "Africa" is the
best way to assist African women... Its worth taking a look at.
 
Margaret
mhobart  @  carson.u.washington.edu

 
Note: This same article appeared about two weeks ago on the OP ED page of
the New York Times.  It was actually authored by two African women
scholars currently teaching at colleges on the east coast.  The article
does raise a number of interesting issues and views Walker as a Western
feminist who knows little about the actual practice of cliterodectomy
(sp?) and the indigenous resistance to it in Africa.
Elliott Butler-Evans
ebevans  @  humanitas.ucsb.edu
 
On Sun, 27 Feb 1994, Margaret Hobart wrote:
 
> The most recent issue of Off Our Backs has an interesting letter
> commenting on Alice Walker's film from an African woman working with
> other African women to stop the practice.  She critiques Walker's
> approach and asks if eliciting horror and condemnation of 1st worlders
> towards what she sees as a monolithically constructed "Africa" is the
> best way to assist African women... Its worth taking a look at.

 
> One of the earliest feminists to report in the U.S. on genital mutilation
> was Fran Hosken; much of what was first published in her newsletter
> _Women's International Network News_ was then pulled together in a book called
> _The Hosken Report: Genital and Sexual Mutilation of Females_.  A second
> edition was published in 1979, under the auspices of WIN News.  While
> much new thinking and consultation has happened since then, this work has an
> important place in the evolution of attention to, and information about,
> the topic.
 
people should be aware, however, that ms. hoskins, though perhaps a
feminist, is, i believe, an urban planner.  her research in this area
is questionable and quite self-referential.  ms. hoskins has an
important place, i suppose, in that she's managed to be quite self-
promoting and so has made sure her name gets mentioned a lot, but i
wonder how much scholarly merit her work has.
 
-- odeana
 
**********************************************************************
                           Odeana Neal
       Syracuse University College of Law, Syracuse, NY  13244
      315-443-4582 (voice)/315-443-3636 (FAX)/orneal  @  law.syr.edu
 
"Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative."
                                               -- Oscar Wilde
**********************************************************************

              <SIEGEL  @  SMCVAX.SMCVT.EDU>

 
The book and documentary are called WARRIOR MARKS. The filmmaker is Pratibha
Parmar.
Mara

 
fyi on female genital mutilation:  i teach in a medical school, and i
wanted to see what was out on our enormous data base (for western
medicine) called MEDLINE.  not surprisingly, not much.  a few, some
in nursing journals, all under the broader category of circumcision.
of course, lots more on male circumcision.  the few in the medical
journals were on the medical complications of circumcision.  here's
an example from TROPICAL DOCTOR 1991 OCt;21(4):146-8
"during one year 118 patients were admitted to the operative
gynecological ward of Banadir Maternity Hospital, Mogadishu, Somalia,
with diseases related to the practice of female circumcision.
Fifty-five percent of the patients were suffering froma dermoid cyst
at the site of the excised clitoris.  Thirty-six percent had a
vaginal stenosis and 9% an abscess at the site of the excised
clitoris.  These patients occupied the beds of the hospital for a
total period of 1967 days which posed a significant constraint to the
health services of the hospital."
 
ie. GET THOSE WOMEN OUTA THERE....
 
delese wear
dw  @  uhura.neoucom.edu

 
For one perspective on female genital mutilation as an aspect of child abuse,
you might want to check out the following article by David Finkelhor and J.
Korbin:
 
Child Abuse as an International Issue," in Child Abuse and Neglect: The
International Journal, 12:1 (1988), pp. 3-23.
 
judith f. clark  @  dartmouth.edu

 
An interesting addition to the discussion about female genital mutilation
is Angela Davis' report from her 1985 visit to Egypt.  This can be found
in WOMEN: A WORLD REPORT, Oxford University Press, 1985.  This piece places
FGM in a context that recognizes the struggles between women/feminists in
"third world" and "first world" countries.  Trisha Franzen
                                            Albion College
                                            <TFRANZEN  @  ALBION.BITNET>

 
see also Nahid Toubia's FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION: A CALL FOR GLOBAL
ACTION. NY:  Women, INK., 1993
 
also, you might contact CAMS (Commission INternationale pour
l'Abolition des Mutilations Sexuelles), B.P. 811, Dakar, Senegal
 
delese wear
northeastern ohio universities college of medicine
4209 st. rt. 44
po box 95
rootstown, oh 44272
216-325-2511
 
dw  @  uhura.neoucom.edu

 
It sounds as though the student researching this paper was interested
in legal issues--I read something in the Washington Post (Health
section, I believe) about the issue of genital mutilation and two
different legal issues.  First, performing the surgery in either this
country or Canada--could it be done/prevented?  Second, a case of a
woman who was fighting deportment because she feared her daughters
would be circumcised.  In addition, I don't think anyone has
mentioned selections from the edited book (Margot Badran and
Miriam Cooke) "Opening the Gates:  A Century of Arab Feminist
Writing" which address clitoridectomy. There is an interesting piece
about the role of a Peace Corps volunteer and her work with midwives
in Mauritania, West Africa that includes a lecture by a local midwife
to other midwives on the practice.  This piece addresses many of the
cultural issues that other list readers have been concerned about.
Deborah Green Ventis
DGVENT  @  mail.wm.edu
College of William and Mary

 
Roberta Martin mentioned the recent work of Linda McNeely Strong (note
corrected spelling); she's finishing a dissertation and is at Michigan
State University.  The dissertation is entitled "Excising the Physical,
Spiritual, and Psychological Self:  An Analysis of Female Circumcision
in the Novels of Flora Nwapa, Ngugi Wa Thiongo, and Alice Walker."
In it, from what I gather, she examines such issues as whether
for Walker to condemn African f.g.m. is to engage in cultural
imperialism and whether African writers (male and female) might
have a different range of attitudes toward f.g.m.  But I hesitate
to describe her work for her, although I've recently talked to her
about it.  In any case, she can be contacted at Michigan State, at
least through May (that is, Linda can).  Marilyn Edelstein, Dept. of
English, Santa Clara U

 
Many people have been suggesting Alice Walker's book on genital
mutilation. I think you need to read much more broadly on this topic. I
was at a conference this past weekend where a woman from Nigeria had
strong (and critical) things to say about the Alice Walker book. She made
very good sense in her comments that we should be cognizant of the
practice of genital mutilation in the west (yes, doctors in the US and
England did it), that we should think about the circumcision of male
babies in our hospitals (a routine practice), and that we need to listen
to the voices of AFrican women. See a recent issue of Medical Anthropology
for a broader discussion as well as Lightfoot Klein "Prisoners of Ritual"
Koso Thomas "The Circumcision of Women" Badran and Cooke, "Opening the
Gates" Jomo Kenyatta "Facing Mt. Kenya."
 
Caroline Brettell, SMU

 
I've been following the contributions on female genital mutilation, which
we teach in our Women in International Perspective course.  Rep. Pat
Schroeder has introduced H.R. 3247 to amend the civil code by prohibiting
the practice of FGM in the US.  We are using the proposed legislation as
part of our teaching unit (which also includes showing Warrior Marks and
reading Possessing the Secret of Joy).  Pat Schroeder's office was very
generous in sending a copy of the bill and some NYT articles.
 
Mary Todd
Women's Studies
The University of Illinois at Chicago
u24930  @  uicvm.uic.edi

 
In her study of women's societies in West Africa, _Radiance from the
Waters_ Sylvia Boone puts "female circumcision" in its cultural context
for women of the Mende group, ie as part of an elaborate
social/aesthetic/religious project.  I can't say as I feel completely
comfortable with her reading of it, and to tell the truth its barely
mentioned, but the book as a whole might give a sense of the context in
which cliterodectomy happens in this particular instance.
 
Sarah Chinn
sec8  @  columbia.edu

 
The New York Times ran an article yesterday (March 4, 1994) on page A25
entitled "An Ancient Ritual and a Mother's Asylum Plea," by Timothy Egan.
 
The gist of the article is that a woman from Nigeria who is now living in
Portland, Oregon, was about to be deported because she overstayed her
one-year tourist visa and has requested asylum because she has two small
daughters and fears that if they are forced to return to Nigeria, they
will be forced to undergo female circumcision just as she was.
 
Rosa Maria Pegueros      PEGUEROS  @  URIACC.URI.EDU
Dept. of History
University of Rhode Island

 
I decided to reply to the group because I think this may be of interest
to others on the list.
 
The Body Image Task Force publishes a 12 page booklet on called "Facts
about Female Genital Mutilation"  The recommended donation for a copy by
mail is $3-5 sent to BITF, PO Box 934, Santa Cruz, CA  95061-0934.  They
also have a list of other resources in the book and another page of
resources they can send with it.  I believe they are actually in contact
with several FGM survivors in this country as well.  I am sure they
cannot send you their names, but they may be able to pass on your request
to these women.
 
Dawn Atkins
datkins  @  blue.weeg.uiowa.edu

 
Re African Women Writers on Female circumcision
Several people have  requested the reference to Angela Davis's discussion
wth  students, writers and feminists  in Egypt  representing many
perspectives on the issue of female  circumcision. She was quite taken
aback by  the anger of many discussants who felt Western feminists were
trying to force their agenda on them, when there were other more pressing
issues for them. There are a number of excellent articles in this volume.
 
 
Women: A World Report,  A New Internationalist Book, Oxford University
Press,  New York. 1985  ISBN 0-19- 505064-9
It contains an overview, followed by Part 2, called, Women to Women. In
each section of this part a western writer travelled to another country
and a writer from the "borderlands" travelled to a Western country.
 
Part 1 Women: An Analysis by Debbie Taylor
Part 2 Women to Women
A) Women and Family
B) Women and Work
(Mariyn French  traveled to India)
C) Women and Education
D) Women   and Politics ( Germaine Greer travelled to Cuba and Nawal el
Saadawi travelled to England)
E) Women and Sex (Angela Davis  visited Egypt and Elena Poniatowski
visited Australia
Part 3 Women: The Facts
jerry diakiw jdiakiw  @  oise.on.ca

 
Toubia, Nahid.  Female Circumcision as a Public Health Issue.  New England
Journal of Medicine 1994; 331:712-716.  Toubia is now at the School of
Public Health at Columbia.
 
Dorkenoo, Efua; and Elworthy, Scilla.  Female Genital Mutilation: Proposals for
Cahnge.  A Report by Minority Rights International.  Published by
The Minority Rights Group
379 Brixton Road
London SW9 7DE U.K.
 
Toubia, Nahid.  Female Genital Mutilation: A Call for Global Action. 1991.
PUblished by Women, Ink.
777 United Nations Plaza
Ny, NY 10017
 
Thiam, Awa.  Speak Out, Black Sisters: Feminism and Oppression in Black Africa.
Translated by DOrothy S. Blair.  Dover New Hampshire: Pluto Press, 1986.
[Also published in London, Sydney, etc. First published in French in Paris
in 1978: La Parole aux Negresses.]
 
Lucy M. Candib, M.D.
Family Health and Social Service Center
875 Main St.
Worcester, Massachusetts 01610
508-756-3528
lcandib  @  umassmed.ummed.edu

 
Regarding Patricia Owen's comment on female
genital mutilation, the concept of cultural relativism,
popularized by anthropologists,  is widely confused
with ethical relativism, a position that came out of
philosophy.  The latter, as popularized by us
one-time hippie types, was a defense of our
rejection of mainstream U.S. morality that ran
something like:  "Since there are no universally
accepted standards of value, any value system is
as good as any other."  The anthropological
concept, on the other hand, is merely a
methodological tool:  "There are no universal
standards for evaluating the meaning of a custom.
If you want to understand its meaning or the role
that it plays, you should interpret or analyze it in the
context of the culture to which it belongs."  This
position rejects ethnocentric condemnation of
difference as "bad" only because ethnocentrism
interferes with valid interpretation of the meaning
of the custom in question or its functional role in the
society which practices it.  But this does not
require that one also adopt a position of moral
relativism and respect the custom.  Thus it is
possible to analyze relativistically, but still reject the
custom politically.  A feminist examination of the
function of genital mutilation would include
consideration of the role it plays in perpetuating
the subordination of women, an effect that we may
reject as incompatible with a recognition of
women's humanity and therefore entitlement tothe
human rights this custom violates
 
Richley Crapo
rcrapo  @  wpo.hass.usu.edu

              Ursinus College" <roboler  @  ACAD.URSINUS.EDU>

 
Re: female circumcision.  I'm afraid I'm going to be sorry for getting
into this, but will do so anyway.
 
I agree that male dominance is extremely marked in many African cultures,
that those cultures can be reasonably called "patriarchal."  However,
without offering any apologia for female circumcision, I believe that
it is a misunderstanding to see it as an artifact of or means to the
end of dominating women.  It is not that African men demand that their
women be circumcised to keep them in line.  Africans of both genders, at
least in those African societies (East African) with which I am most
familiar, demand that girls be circumcised because it is "proper."  One
could argue that even if people aren't conscious of the "control of
women" motive, it is still there and was responsible for the origin of
the custom.  However:  1.  Though there is evidence that clitoridectomy
reduces orgasmic function, many women have attested to me that they still
experience full orgasm after clitoridectomy.  2.  Many of the same
cultures that practice clitoridectomy place great cultural emphasis on
female sexuality; some of these have near-institutionalized extra-
marital relationships.  3.  This is purely impressionistic, but I'd be
really surprised if the incidence of extra-marital sex is any lower in
societies that practice clitoridectomy than those that don't.
 
I am not saying that this is a totally harmless practice, or that there
aren't other good reasons to oppose it -- but it is *not* the kind of
social control device that Europeans and Americans often think it is.
African men do control women in plenty of other ways.
 
Infibulation as practiced in the Sudan is different.  Preventing women
from having pre-marital sex and making th vagina tighter for the man's
greater sexual pleasure are, from my reading of the literature,
consciously articulated reasons for that practice.  It also causes
great discomfort and has much more major health consequences than
clitoridectomy.
 
FWIW -- obviously the situation may be different in different societies.
There may well, for all I know, be places where women oppose
clitoridectomy and men make them do it.  And neither am I "for" it.  I do
feel that since this is often a focal point of ceremonies that are a
source of identity and pride to women, it should not be eliminated
without some kind of substitute.  I feel further that African women
themselves should be the ones to instigate and control anti-clitoridectomy
campaigns.
 
  -- Gina

 
Lous Hesusius, Professor  of Education at York University here in Toronto
had an interesting
 piece on female circumcision in The Globe and Mail, Dec. 2 entitled
Visiting Elizabeth. She cites a book, Female Genital Mutilation: A call
for Global Action by Nahid Toubia (1993 Women Ink) available from the
publisher, 777United Nations Plaza New York  N.Y. 10017
jerry

 
daphne patai used the example of female circumcision in last week's
conversation on machismo, and i thought i would point out a very
interesting article written by loretta kopelman, who is chair of the
dept. of medical humanities at east carolina university school of
medicine: "female circumcision/genital mutilation and ethical
relativism: in the journal SECOND OPINION  20, no.2, oct. 1994:
55-71.  excellent bibliography that includes medicine (the AMA,
pediatrics, urology, gyn., etc), anthropology, ethics, philosophy,
fiction, nursing, law, etc.etc.
delese wear
dw  @  neoucom.edu  (or) dw  @  uhura.neoucom.edu

 
To say something is NOT social control but is merely practiced because "it
is proper" is confusing the issue.   For example, middle-class white women
in the U.S. did not work outside the home in the 1950s--why?--because it
wasn't proper.  Women couldn't practice many professions for many
years--why?--because it wasn't proper.  Women were locked away in attics
and sanitoriums (see The Yellow Wallpaper for a fictional account) for
displaying feelings, emotions, and actions that weren't considered
"proper."  Whether the legal jargon says a woman is the property of a man,
or that he has total legal responsibility over her, or whether there is
strong social convention to do "what is proper"...the end result is the
same.  The end result is social control.
 
_________________
Cheryl L. Sattler, Ph.D.
Florida State University
 
FAX (904) 644-0643  PHONE (904) 644-1142
internet: sattler  @  bio.fsu.edu

              Ursinus College" <roboler  @  ACAD.URSINUS.EDU>

 
Cheryl Sattler criticizes my characterization of clitoridectomy as something
done as a matter of a social propriety rather than "to control women."
As the comparison, she uses a number of customs and social conditions of
the US past that were undeniably restrictive of women, but perceived by
the actors at the time as matters of social propriety.  There is a sense in
which *all* custom is restrictive -- and not just of women.  But the point
is, how, specifically, are women being controlled through clitoridectomy?
The usual Euro-American interpretation is that they are being kept faithful
to unloving husbands by denial of their sexual pleasure.  However, it is
demonstrable that in many of the societies that practice clitoridectomy
there is significant female choice of extra-marital sexual partners -- more
in many cases than in societies without any such practice.  What, exactly,
are we talking about here?
 
Note that I never said that there are not harmful results of clitoridectomy.
I still maintain that, although in several East African societies I am
familiar with, women are considered inferior and in need of male control
in certain ways, that is not the ideology that motivates clitoridectomy.  In
some other societies that practice it, it is arguable that women's status
was better than in European societies any time prior to the 20th century.  If
clitoridectomy is the result of unconscious hostility to women, what about
circumcision of males?
 
I'm arguing for the need to understand clitoridectomy in context, and follow the
lead of African women in action to change this custom.  Richley Crapo's
post on the difference between cultural and ethicla relativism was an
excellent statement.
 
  -- Gina (roboler  @  acad.ursinus.edu)

 
>If clitoridectomy is the result of unconscious hostility to women, what about
>circumcision of males?
>
My understanding is that Clitoridectomy and circumcision are not analogous
procedures.  While a clitoridectomy deprives a woman of the ability to
experience orgasm either through masturbation or sexual contact with a
partner (because the clitoris is removed) a circumcision does not deprive a
man of the same.  Removing the whole head of the penis would be analogous
to a clitoridectomy.