LEADER 04537nam 2200589 450 001 9910820728803321 005 20230808232154.0 010 $a0-8122-9251-0 024 7 $a10.9783/9780812292510 035 $a(CKB)2670000000602166 035 $a(OCoLC)606487755 035 $a(MdBmJHUP)muse45946 035 $a(DE-B1597)463540 035 $a(OCoLC)928987557 035 $a(OCoLC)999382235 035 $a(DE-B1597)9780812292510 035 $a(Au-PeEL)EBL3442506 035 $a(CaPaEBR)ebr11033572 035 $a(CaONFJC)MIL751892 035 $a(MiAaPQ)EBC3442506 035 $a(EXLCZ)992670000000602166 100 $a20150331h20012001 uy 0 101 0 $aeng 135 $aurcnu|||||||| 181 $ctxt$2rdacontent 182 $cc$2rdamedia 183 $acr$2rdacarrier 200 14$aThe female circumcision controversy $ean anthropological perspective /$fEllen Gruenbaum 210 1$aPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania :$cUniversity of Pennsylvania Press,$d2001. 210 4$dİ2001 215 $a1 online resource (251 pages) $cillustrations, map 311 $a0-8122-1746-2 311 $a1-336-20606-3 320 $aIncludes bibliographical references and index. 327 $tFront matter --$tContents --$tIntroduction: Grappling with the "Female Circumcision" Controversy --$tChapter 1. Patriarchy --$tChapter 2. Ritual and Meaning --$tChapter 3. Marriage and Morality --$tChapter 4. Ethnicity --$tChapter 5. Sexuality --$tChapter 6. Economic Development --$tChapter 7. Change --$tChapter 8. Involvement --$tAppendix. Organizations That Focus on Female Genital Cutting Issues --$tGlossary --$tBibliography --$tIndex --$tAcknowledgments 330 $aTo 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 circumcision, concentrating particularly on the complex attitudes of the individuals and groups who practice it and on indigenous efforts to end it. Gruenbaum finds that the criticisms of outsiders are frequently simplistic and fail to appreciate the diversity of cultural contexts, the complex meanings, and the conflicting responses to change. Drawing on over five years of fieldwork in Sudan, where the most severe forms of genital surgery are common, Gruenbaum shows that the practices of female circumcision are deeply embedded in Sudanese cultural traditions-in religious, moral, and aesthetic values, and in ideas about class, ethnicity, and gender. Her research illuminates both the resistance to and the acceptance of change. She shows that change is occurring as the result of economic and social developments, the influences of Islamic activists, the work of Sudanese health educators, and the efforts of educated African women. That does not mean that there is no role for outsiders, Gruenbaum asserts, and she offers suggestions for those who wish to help facilitate change. By presenting specific cultural contexts and human experiences with a deep knowledge of the tremendous variation of the practice and meaning of female circumcision, Gruenbaum provides an insightful analysis of the process of changing this complex, highly debated practice. 606 $aFemale genital mutilation 610 $aAnthropology. 610 $aFolklore. 610 $aGender Studies. 610 $aLinguistics. 610 $aWomen's Studies. 615 0$aFemale genital mutilation. 676 $a392.1 700 $aGruenbaum$b Ellen$0728452 801 0$bMiAaPQ 801 1$bMiAaPQ 801 2$bMiAaPQ 906 $aBOOK 912 $a9910820728803321 996 $aThe female circumcision controversy$94078455 997 $aUNINA