Stanlie James

Brief yet satisfying take on the view that Western feminist objections to female genital cutting (mutilation, circumcision, etc.) is almost certainly counterproductive because it is inevitably racist, couched in terms of African women being variably criminals, child abusers, passive victims of tradition, or some other essentialist condescending characterization.

Especially interesting was the last chapter which showed through first hand account that the same feminist actors leading the charge against African clitoridectomy take no interest in the same procedure in our own society performed on unconsenting infants in order to enforce gender norms on the intersexed. "'Their' genital cutting is barbaric ritual; 'ours' is scientific. Theirs disfigures; ours normalizes the deviant." Because the target is not female genital cutting, but only female genital cutting by Africans, the strident paternalistic appeal by Westerners is understandably unappreciated.… (plus d'informations)