Feminism, Anthropology and the Politics of Excision in Mali: Global and Local Debates in a Postcolonial World

Authors

  • Claudie Gosselin University of Toronto

Abstract

This article examines the politics and discourses surrounding female circumcision, and explores ethical approaches to its study for feminist anthropologists. First I present an overview of the international debate on these operations, and review the literature on "female genital mutilation." Unfortunately these writings that are meant to help empower African women can "colonize" them (after Mohanty, 1991). Second, the current debates around the practice in Mali are discussed. The issue has become a metonym for politically, ideologically and economically motivated discussions on gender, age, caste, Islam and Westernization.

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Published

2022-06-10

How to Cite

Gosselin, C. (2022). Feminism, Anthropology and the Politics of Excision in Mali: Global and Local Debates in a Postcolonial World. Anthropologica, 42(1), 43–60. Retrieved from https://cas-sca.journals.uvic.ca/index.php/anthropologica/article/view/2142

Issue

Vol. 42 No. 1 (2000): Articulated Meanings: Studies in Gender and the Politics of Culture

Section

Thematic Section:

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