The Female Circumcision Controversy: An Anthropological Perspective, and: Female Genital Mutilation: A Guide to Laws and Policies Worldwide (review)

The Female Circumcision Controversy: An Anthropological Perspective by Ellen Gruenbaum. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2000, 244 pp., $55.00 hardcover, $24.95 paper.

Female Genital Mutilation: A Guide to Laws and Policies Worldwide edited by Anika Rahman and Nahid Toubia. New York: Zed Books, 2000, 249 pp., $65.00 hardcover, $25.00 paper.

Female genital mutilation is the practice whereby tissues of female genitalia are cut or removed. It is prevalent in many parts of Africa and is a controversial issue, particularly in the West. Debate stems from a number of factors, first, the term itself—female genital mutilation (FGM). Acknowledging this, these two books begin with discussions regarding terminology. Both books note that the term FGM implies intent to harm and the practice provokes negative reactions even among communities in which it is practiced. Keeping this in mind, Ellen Gruenbaum in her book, The Female Circumcision Controversy, uses the term female circumcision (FC), despite the fact that circumcision for female genitalia trivializes the damage and scale of the practice. For similar reasons, Nahid Toubia and Anika Rahman, editors of Female Genital Mutilation, use FC as well as FGM. They note that the term FGM remains an "effective policy and advocacy tool" in the international community (4). Like these authors, I will also use FGM/FC.

The horrifying nature of the procedure and the fact that it is customarily performed on girls between the ages of four and twelve also elicits controversy. The most contentious point, however, has been the claim that Western feminists address this issue in a colonial and ethnocentric manner. Communities where FGM/FC is practiced are offended by the implications that only Western leadership can bring about a change in this barbaric tradition.

These controversies, particularly the last one, are the starting point for Ellen Gruenbaum's The Female Circumcision Controversy. She expands on this in the form of two dilemmas she faced as a feminist anthropologist: how to address a tradition where women inflict damage on other women and how to be involved as an activist without disregarding others' cultures. To reconcile these issues, she uses a "contested culture" approach that emphasizes a culture's inherent contradictions through "debates, viewpoints of different classes, age groups, genders, and other social divisions" (32). Such an approach helps her gain unusual insights into the problem.

The Female Circumcision Controversy is a case study of Sudan where the most severe form of FGM/FC—infibulation (removal of all or part of external genitalia and stitching of the vagina opening)—is practiced, making it a suitable place to examine this tradition. Based on Gruenbaum's ethnographic research, it includes accounts of Sudanese women and men concerning FGM/FC. Gruenbaum describes a young girl's circumcision ceremony and provides some very frank discussions with Sudanese women about their sexuality.

This book sets out to challenge the simplistic interpretations surrounding FGM/FC by providing social contexts for the practice. Consequently, Gruenbaum disputes some common notions. For example, it is often believed that FGM/FC is practiced as a way to control a woman's sexuality. But in her discussions with Sudanese women, she finds that female sexuality is "neither destroyed nor unaffected by female genital cutting" and FGM/FC "does not totally eliminate sexual satisfaction in all women" (156-7). Gruenbaum also demonstrates that although religion is cited as one of the most important reasons for FGM/FC— it is common in Islamic countries in Africa—there are diverse interpretations in Islam regarding FGM/FC and the Sudanese are actively debating these interpretations. As for the idea that FGM/FC may be psychologically scarring in the lives of Sudanese women, Gruenbaum remarks, "adult women could recall their circumcisions vividly, but most did not dwell on the pain or fear except to laugh about it" (56). These observations certainly question our simplistic notions of...