Female Circumcision: A Sociological Perspective
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Female Circumcision:
A Sociological Perspective
Aaron Robins
Joe Pellegrino
Prof. Romain
Sociology 101
November 29, 2005
Female Circumcision:
A Sociological Perspective
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) or a less ethnocentric term Female Circumcision is a form of violence that is approved by the societies in which it is practiced. About 183 million women have undergone such mutilation. The geographic areas of practice include North-East Africa and parts of the Middle East. Although it is illegal in Canada, it is practiced by immigrants from those areas. For the most part, men do not involve themselves in the practice, and its greatest supporters are women in the communities affected. It contributes to the spread of HIV/AIDS and other STD’s because non sterile instruments are used, usually a piece of glass or a knife. It is seen in the communities as a practice which makes girls less interested in sex, more docile, therefore more attractive as a wife, although western medicine can not support that belief. It is much more painful than male circumcision. The procedure usually involves the removal of much more tissue and then is followed by partial or complete sewing shut of the vagina. Unlike violence perpetrated by males, it is a violence perpetrated by the communities themselves. Although found in societies characterized by Islam, it is not approved by the Koran, and there is a prohibition against mutilation or harming the body. Its practice preceded Islam, apparently, for thousands of years. In the following pages we will be using the sociological perspective and applying the scientific method to the societies that participate in Female Circumcision. We will elaborate on this subject through three different perspectives, the symbolic interaction perspective, the functionalist perspective and the conflict perspective. Hopefully, upon the conclusion of this paper we can reveal more about how these
Female Circumcision:
A Sociological Perspective
Aaron Robins
Joe Pellegrino
Prof. Romain
Sociology 101
November 29, 2005
Female Circumcision:
A Sociological Perspective
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) or a less ethnocentric term Female Circumcision is a form of violence that is approved by the societies in which it is practiced. About 183 million women have undergone such mutilation. The geographic areas of practice include North-East Africa and parts of the Middle East. Although it is illegal in Canada, it is practiced by immigrants from those areas. For the most part, men do not involve themselves in the practice, and its greatest supporters are women in the communities affected. It contributes to the spread of HIV/AIDS and other STD’s because non sterile instruments are used, usually a piece of glass or a knife. It is seen in the communities as a practice which makes girls less interested in sex, more docile, therefore more attractive as a wife, although western medicine can not support that belief. It is much more painful than male circumcision. The procedure usually involves the removal of much more tissue and then is followed by partial or complete sewing shut of the vagina. Unlike violence perpetrated by males, it is a violence perpetrated by the communities themselves. Although found in societies characterized by Islam, it is not approved by the Koran, and there is a prohibition against mutilation or harming the body. Its practice preceded Islam, apparently, for thousands of years. In the following pages we will be using the sociological perspective and applying the scientific method to the societies that participate in Female Circumcision. We will elaborate on this subject through three different perspectives, the symbolic interaction perspective, the functionalist perspective and the conflict perspective. Hopefully, upon the conclusion of this paper we can reveal more about how these
References: Lightfoot-Klein, Hanney. Prisoners of Ritual: An Odyssey into FGM in Africa. Binghamton, N.Y. Harworth Press, 1989.