FGM
| February 20th, 2003[ In an earlier post, I wrote:
Opposition to female genital mutilation (FGM) is often caricatured as a western imposition on African and Muslim cultures. In fact, as far as I can tell, everywhere in the world where FGM is practiced there are local women questioning or protesting FGM. Of course, it’s true that western feminist organizations have sometimes been ham- handed; but it’s not true that opposing FGM is just a Western thing.
Not much of a post, I know, but I figured writing that would bait my housemate Bean into posting something more interesting and intelligent in the comments. Bean came through, and since I figure more people read the blog itself than the comments, I’m reposting what Bean wrote here. The rest of this post is Bean’s words. –Amp]
Re: FGM. Most global and multicultural feminists who speak about FGM and Western infiltration do not say that all African women are for FGM. No, no, no.
Anyone who has read seriously into the issues realizes that there is a vast difference between not wanting Western invasion and domination and submitting to such things as FGM. The point is not that Western feminists want to impose “banning FGM” on African women, it’s that Western women tend to think they are the ones who must save these women, and it must be done in the Western feminists deem appropriate, on a timeline that Western feminists deem necessary.
The fact is, there are (and have been for a long time) a great number of extremely motivated feminists who are fighting against FMG. They simply want to be the ones doing the fighting, not having Western women do it for them — at least partly because African feminists will be heard a lot clearer and a lot sooner by the people they are trying to change than Western women ever would.
Also, most Western women simply want to make a law banning all FGM (which obviously doesn’t work, as there are laws in almost every country, yet the practice remains), and they simply want it to stop right now.
Many (but not all — African feminists are as diverse, if not moreso, than Western feminists) see alternative solutions that most Western feminists oppose. For example, one successful strategy has been getting people to switch to symbolic FGM, wherein the ritual is still performed, but no actual cutting or sewing is done. There are a great number of Western feminists who scream that the underlying submission is still there — and I would agree. The thing is, for these feminists, this is a band-aid solution, not the solution. This is the solution that, at least, protects girls from being physically harmed and damaged RIGHT. NOW. — something that the Western way couldn’t offer, it takes generations to make the kind of changes that Western feminists want.
So, the point is not to keep FGM, the point is to support the African feminists without taking over.
September 20th, 2006 at 12:27 pm
“…on a timeline that Western feminists deem necessary.”
Can’t say I feel overly well targeted by this, though I am undoubtedly a western woman, white, and with all bits intact (though I’m sure some would argue that point). BUT where the timeline is concerned - yes, this should be stopped right now, asap, because this is torture of children, some as young as only a few weeks — it’s actually so horrific it defies descpription and my western imagination. Yes, it has been going on for centuries in many cultures, though it can hardly be described as a cultured thing to do to another being.
Try reading a little about footbinding, though. With the help of westerners , though in particular through the Chinese themselves once they woke up (!!!!), this dreadful custom was ended in the course of mere decades. Isn’t that a timescale worth aiming for?
However, I am not one to preach to the Africans. I am very well aware that the African continent is - eh - somewhat bigger than the European, and with a far more divided set of cultures than the Chinese - which is thus likely to slow down a positive development. I would still urge the African and Arab feminists to put all the pressure on they can.
And one more thing. I would seriously like some advice from the African and Arab feminists about how we; the white unmutilated feminists (who may, or may not have been castrated in other ways) can help end the practice. We can’t preach in the face of the ancient cultures, and we can’t speak from experience. But we cry inside with each victim. How can we be of any assistance?
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