The purpose of this study was to understand ‘What knowledge matters', and ‘Whose knowledge matters' in the study of African sexuality and in particular female genital circumcision. The Sabiny peoples of Uganda practice the tradition of wonsetapkoruk or wosho as a rite of initiation for girls. This practice is elsewhere understood as female genital cutting, female genital circumcision or female genital mutilation.
Discussions on African sexuality and female genital circumcision have taken either a Western perspective or an African point of view. Since the practice is understood differently, the values attached to it differ as a consequence of the wide range of opinions. In certain ways it is considered as a determinant of who has a normal sexuality or a normal body; distinguishes girls from women; confers true femininity as opposed to masculinity. Amidst these discussions, the aspect of women‘s health is peripheral and marginalized. Instead discussions seem to be limited by issues of language, naming, and standpoints by which various bodies of knowledge argue their different positions.
Communication between the various sides of the debate is also minimal. Despite the claims that female genital circumcision is harmful to women‘s health attempts to eradicate it are faced by resistances. Through an African feminist approach to the politics of knowledge on African sexualities, in this study I argue that the discourses on African sexualities and in particular those on female genital circumcision affect the understanding of women‘s health. Second, the different approaches employed in the discussions of female genital circumcision evaluate the practice using different scales of values which affect the understanding of health through what they neglect or take for granted.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY
1.1. Introduction
1.2. Background to the Study
1.3. Statement of the Problem
1.4. The Purpose of the Study
1.5. Critical Questions
1.6. Research Objectives
1.7. Significance of the Study
1.8. Theoretical Framework
1.9. Methodological Approach
1.10. Outline of the Study
1.11. Chapter Summary
CHAPTER TWO
UNDERSTANDING AFRICAN SEXUALITIES
2.1. Introduction
2.2. Understanding African Sexualities
2.2.1. African Feminism and Sexualities
2.2.2. The Western Perspective on Understanding African Sexualities
2.2.3. Viewing African Sexualities through the Lens of Women’s Subordination
2.3. The Debates on African Sexualities from an African Perspective
2.3.1. Challenging a Distinct and Fixed African Sexuality
2.3.2. An African Response to a Religious Based Notion of Liberation
2.4. Interrogating the Notion of Silence and Symbolism
2.4.1. Mediation of Sexuality through Language and Gender
2.5. Chapter Summary
CHAPTER THREE
THE SABINY PEOPLE OF UGANDA AND THE PRACTICE OF WONSETAP KORUK/WONSHO
3.1. Introduction
3.2. The Location of Uganda
3.3. Locating Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health in Ugandan Society
3.4. The Sabiny People of Uganda
3.4.1. The Sabiny and the Practice of Wonsetap Koruk/Wonsho
3.4.2. The Sabiny Understanding of Female Genital Circumcision
3.5. Understanding Female Genital Mutilation from the Global Perspective
3.5.1. The Concept of Female Genital Circumcision/Mutilation
3.6. Chapter Summary
CHAPTER FOUR
A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION DEBATES AND THEIR POSSIBLE IMPLICATIONS IN UNDERSTANDING WOMEN’S HEALTH
4.1. Introduction
4.2. Female Genital Circumcision as a Barbaric and Primitive Custom
4.3. Conceptualising ‘Normal’ Sexuality by a ‘Normal’ Body within Female Genital Circumcision Discourses
4.4. Politicising the ‘Cut’ and ‘Uncut’ Clitoris: Pleasure and the ‘Real’ Woman
4.4.1. The Power of Language and Naming: ‘Mutilation’ or ‘Other’?
4.5. Women’s Health and Empowerment: A Missed Point?
4.6. Unveiling the Limitations of Anti-Female Genital Circumcision Discourses
4.6.1. Female Genital Circumcision and the Constructed Silence
4.6.2. Contending the Limits of Women’s Health
4.6.3. The Clitoris as the Centre of Sexual Excitement
4.6.4. Sexual Satisfaction vs. Ignorance
4.6.5. Religio-Cultural Influence
4.7. Chapter Summary
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY OF THE STUDY AND FINAL CONCLUSIONS
5.1. Introduction
5.2. Summary of the Research Study
5.2.1. Key Research Questions
5.2.2. Overview of Chapters
5.2.3. Overview of Argument
5.2.4. Theoretical Framework
5.2.5. The Value of the Study
5.2.6. Critical Findings of the Study
5.2.7. Limitations of the Study
5.3. Some Final Conclusions
Research Objectives and Thematic Focus
This study aims to investigate the politics of knowledge surrounding African sexualities and specifically the practice of Female Genital Circumcision (FGC) among the Sabiny people of Uganda. The central objective is to determine how prevailing discourses on these topics impact the broader understanding of women’s health, while highlighting the underlying tensions between local traditions and global human rights perspectives.
- Analysis of African sexualities and the impact of the politics of knowledge on women's health.
- Exploration of the Sabiny people's initiation rite (Wonsetap koruk/Wonsho) and its religio-cultural significance.
- Critique of the language, naming, and discourse surrounding FGC/FGM practices globally.
- Evaluation of how the interplay between different levels of knowledge (public vs. private domain) shapes social perceptions.
- Identification of gaps in anti-FGC discourses that may lead to the marginalization of women's health concerns.
Excerpt from the Book
4.4. Politicising the ‘Cut’ and ‘Uncut’ Clitoris: Pleasure and the ‘Real’ Woman
As with other aspects of culture, traditional beliefs on sexuality have demonstrated a certain power in influencing people’s attitudes and behaviour. The traditional belief that the vagina and the penis demonstrate that woman and man are in opposition just as the heaven is with the earth (Parrinder 1980:137) has influenced the idea that the clitoris is actually in opposition to the penis. This leads to obfuscating the true femininity of a woman. Ahmadu as interviewed by Shwender (2009:14) asserts that among the Soko people of Sierra Leone, “the exposed clitoris represents the malt sexual organ or penis and thus its removal symbolises the feminisation of the girl child and makes her adult sexual status.” The uncut clitoris in this regard would expose some kind of masculinity. During the sexual act, the meeting of the uncut clitoris and the penis would be one of resistance. Therefore, to cut the clitoris would in this case be a pre-measure to ensure that the “male-ego does not meet any opposition along the way to penetration” (Parrinder 1980:137).
Associating the penetration of the vagina with dominance from a single power has elicited much debate, raising the question as to which power? African traditional knowledge is limited in justifying penetration in terms of male dominance. As argued by the Soko of Sierra Leone, vaginal penetration is eased by the cut clitoris and is thus interpreted as favourable to the assertion of a woman’s power (Ahmadu as interviewed in Shwender 2009:16). Accordingly, for Ahmadu, the uncut clitoris “hides” a woman’s domination of the male sexual organ. This gives new understanding to sexual power dominance. In this light, FGC can be understood as the means of retrieving or asserting matriarchal power. As Ahmadu (2009:14) further affirms:
The removal of the external clitoral glans, and labia minora, in initiation is a symbolic representation of matriarchal power…it is said to activate women’s penis within the vagina. During vaginal intercourse, women say they dominate the male procreative tool (penis) and substance (semen).
Summary of Chapters
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY: Provides the foundation for the research by introducing the discourse on African sexualities, the problem statement regarding FGC, and the theoretical and methodological approaches used.
CHAPTER TWO UNDERSTANDING AFRICAN SEXUALITIES: Examines the complexity of African sexualities, contrasting Western outsider perspectives with African insider views, and addressing the roles of language, silence, and religion.
CHAPTER THREE THE SABINY PEOPLE OF UGANDA AND THE PRACTICE OF WONSETAP KORUK/WONSHO: Contextualizes FGC within the specific Sabiny culture in Uganda, exploring local understandings of the rite and comparing these to global perspectives on the practice.
CHAPTER FOUR A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION DEBATES AND THEIR POSSIBLE IMPLICATIONS IN UNDERSTANDING WOMEN’S HEALTH: Critically analyzes the dominant anti-FGC discourses, focusing on the politicization of the clitoris, the ethics of naming, and the potential for these debates to neglect actual women's health needs.
CHAPTER FIVE SUMMARY OF THE STUDY AND FINAL CONCLUSIONS: Provides a comprehensive synthesis of the findings, reviews the theoretical framework, and offers final conclusions on the intersection of knowledge, power, and women's health.
Keywords
African Sexualities, Clitoris, Female Genital Circumcision, Female Genital Cutting, Female Genital Mutilation, Initiation, Politics of Knowledge, Primitivism, Sabiny, Sebei, Uganda, Women’s Health, Women’s Reproductive Health, Women’s Rights.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research dissertation?
The study investigates the politics of knowledge regarding African sexualities, with a specific focus on how discourses around Female Genital Circumcision (FGC) in the Sabiny community of Uganda affect the understanding of women’s health.
What are the primary themes discussed in this work?
Central themes include the tension between Western and African perspectives on sexuality, the significance of language and naming in FGC debates, the role of silence and symbolism in African traditions, and the impact of patriarchal structures on women’s health.
What is the main objective of this study?
The primary goal is to examine how the interplay between different "levels of knowledge" (public vs. private domains) contributes to or neglects the actual health needs of African women affected by FGC practices.
Which scientific methodology is applied in this study?
The research is a qualitative, non-empirical study based on textual analysis. It examines existing literature and scholarly discourses to explore the construction and dissemination of knowledge about African sexualities and FGC.
What is covered in the main body of the text?
The main sections cover theoretical frameworks based on African feminism, cultural-centered approaches, the specific socio-cultural context of the Sabiny people, and a critical analysis of the global and local debates surrounding FGC naming and practices.
Which keywords characterize this academic work?
Key terms include African Sexualities, Politics of Knowledge, Sabiny, Female Genital Circumcision, Women’s Health, Poststructuralist Approach, and cultural identity.
How does the Sabiny term "wonsho" differ from the global "FGM" label?
While "FGM" focuses on physical mutilation and universal moral outrage, the Sabiny term "wonsho" (the act of chasing away) reflects a religio-cultural rite of passage intended to prepare youth for adulthood and communal responsibilities.
What does the author conclude about the "cut vs. uncut" clitoris debate?
The author argues that these debates are often trapped in competing theories of knowledge where both sides claim to define a "real" woman, potentially neglecting the actual lived experiences and diverse health needs of the women involved.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Gyaviira Kisitu (Autor:in), 2015, The Politics of Knowledge on African Sexualities and its Effect on Women's Health. A Case of the Sabiny Female Genital Mutilation, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/313239
