Rethinking female circumcision

Female circumcision is practised in more than twenty African countries as well as in a number of countries in the Middle East, and it has been estimated that at least 100 million females have been circumcised worldwide. It is striking, however, that much more concern has been expressed about female circumcision than about other operations or infections which adversely affect the reproductive health of women. In the academic arena, it is also interesting that gynaecologists, epidemiologists and anthropologists have tended to focus on a relatively small number of questions, and even these have rarely been investigated in any depth. This article focuses on the work of researchers from Europe and North America in order to show that intense emotions underlie this interest and concern. Amidst growing interest in the anthropology of emotions it is suggested that greater attention should be paid to understanding the source of these emotions and the way in which they influence fieldwork and data analysis. Until it is, our understanding of female circumcision will remain partial, as data will continue to be collected and interpreted in an inadequate way.