Context: This study seeks to examine the relationship between female genital cutting (FGC) and the sexual behavior of women in Kenya and Nigeria. Although research evidence has shown that female genital cutting is a serious problem in many countries and needs to be eradicated, prevalence in many countries remains high. One of the reasons given for the continuation of this harmful practice, despite widespread global campaigns against it, is that it is deemed an essential aspect of grooming the female child in preparation for marriage. It is supposed to control female sexuality thereby ensuring that a girl remains a virgin until marriage and it enhances her chances of marriage. Little research has been carried out to evaluate how far FGC tempers the sexual behavior of women. Methods: The study uses the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey of 2008/09 as well as the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey of 2008. The population being examined is sexually active women who knew about circumcision and were thus asked if they had been circumcised or not to which the response was either yes or no. The sample size for Kenya is 5 187 women while in Nigeria it is 12 253 women. The study hypothesis is that there is a difference in the sexual behaviour of women who are circumcised and those who are not circumcised. Multiple linear regression, logistic regression as well as Poisson regression were used examine the effect of selected predictor variables on sexual behaviour. The outcome variable is sexual behavior which was measured using age at first intercourse as well total lifetime number of sexual partners. Findings: The study results suggest that there is no association between female genital cutting and the sexual behaviour of women in Kenya and Nigeria. There was no difference in the age at which women first engage in sexual intercourse and in the number of sexual partners for women who were circumcised and those who were not. Thus there is no scientific evidence that the practice of FGC could control the sexual activities of women. Conclusions: Female genital cutting does not have any effect on the sexual behaviour of women in Kenya and Nigeria. There is no difference in the sexual behaviour of women who are circumcised and those who are not circumcised in both countries. This is an indication that FGC does not serve the purpose it is purported to serve and should therefore be eradicated.

In Egypt, female genital cutting (FGC) is illegal and declining in prevalence; however, the majority of women continue to support the practice. Using data from the 2005 and 2014 Egypt Demographic and Health Surveys, I examine changes in attitude toward FGC to explain social change through the framework of developmental idealism (Thornton 2015). Models are estimated using logistic regression to test if support for discontinuation of FGC is greater among women who have adopted progressive values or among women who are more traditional. Findings indicate that women who were Christian, rural, married younger, and that underwent FGC became supportive of discontinuation at greater rates than women who were Muslim, urban, married older, and did not undergo FGC. Women at various levels of education, wealth, and other indicators of development changed support at equal rates. Findings indicate that women in all social strata are receptive to messages against FGC.

Female genital cutting/circumcision/mutilation (FGC) is found predominantly in the Sahel, Northern Africa, removing parts/all of the clitoris, labia minora and majora in girls. Cutting the highly innervated external genitalia may change sensory processing leading to chronic pain. Fourteen Somali women in the Greater Toronto Area (21-46, Type III FGC) completed qualitative, quantitative and psychophysical methods to evaluate pain. Interviews analyzed by interpretive phenomenology form the core method, examining circumcision stories and present, embodied life. The second Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire and quantitative sensory testing with a vulvalgesiometer form secondary components. Somali women with FGC have pain-filled stories about circumcision and daily life. Socio-cultural considerations are central for women to comprehend how their own bodies feel. SF-MPQ-2 indicates low intensity or no pain symptoms; however, many body regions were indicated. QST reveals low vulvar pressure-pain thresholds. Reports from three measures suggest that FGC may cause sensory changes including chronic pain.

Female genital cutting/circumcision/mutilation (FGC) is found predominantly in the Sahel, Northern Africa, removing parts/all of the clitoris, labia minora and majora in girls. Cutting the highly innervated external genitalia may change sensory processing leading to chronic pain. Fourteen Somali women in the Greater Toronto Area (21-46, Type III FGC) completed qualitative, quantitative and psychophysical methods to evaluate pain. Interviews analyzed by interpretive phenomenology form the core method, examining circumcision stories and present, embodied life. The second Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire and quantitative sensory testing with a vulvalgesiometer form secondary components. Somali women with FGC have pain-filled stories about circumcision and daily life. Socio-cultural considerations are central for women to comprehend how their own bodies feel. SF-MPQ-2 indicates low intensity or no pain symptoms; however, many body regions were indicated. QST reveals low vulvar pressure-pain thresholds. Reports from three measures suggest that FGC may cause sensory changes including chronic pain.

No description available.

Este trabalho consiste em uma leitura das diferentes formas de representação que podem ser atribuídas à personagem Tashi, protagonista do romance Possessing the Secret of Joy (1992), da escritora negra estadunidense Alice Walker. Antes desta obra, Tashi já havia aparecido em dois romances de Walker, primeiro em The Color Purple (1982), como personagem periférica, e depois como menção em The Temple of my Familiar (1989). Com Tashi, surge a temática da prática da circuncisão feminina, ritual ao qual a personagem se submete no início da idade adulta. O foco de observação do trabalho se volta para a maneira na qual a revolta da autora é transformada em um meio de representação criativa. Walker utiliza sua obra abertamente como instrumento ideológico para que o tema da “mutilação genital” (termo utilizado pela autora) receba ampla atenção da mídia e da crítica em geral. O propósito da investigação é avaliar até que ponto o engajamento social da autora contribui de uma forma positiva em seu trabalho e até que ponto o mesmo engajamento o atrapalha. Para a análise das diferentes questões relacionadas ao tema de “female genital cutting” (FGC), termo que eu utilizo no decorrer da pesquisa, os trabalhos de críticas e escritoras feministas como Ellen Gruenbaum, Lightfoot-Klein, Nancy Hartsock, Linda Nicholson, Efrat Tseëlon e a egípcia Nawal El Saadawi serão consultados. Espero que esta dissertação possa contribuir como uma observação sobre como Alice Walker usa seu engajamento social na criação de seu mundo fictício. / This thesis provides a reading of the different forms of representation that can be attributed to the character Tashi, the protagonist of the novel Possessing the Secret of Joy (1992), written by the African American writer Alice Walker. Before this work Tashi had already appeared in two previous novels by Walker, first, in The Color Purple (1982) and then, as a mention, in The Temple of My Familiar (1989). With Tashi, the author introduces the issue of female circumcision, a ritual Tashi submits herself to at the beginning of her adult life. The focus of observation lies in the ways in which the author’s anger is transformed into a means of creative representation. Walker uses her novel Possessing the Secret of Joy openly as a political instrument so that the expression “female mutilation” (term used by the author) receives ample attention from the media and critics in general. The aim of this investigation is to evaluate to what extent Walker’s social engagement contributes to the development of her work and to what extent it undermines it. For the analysis of the different issues related to “female genital cutting”, the term I use in this thesis, the works of feminist critics and writers such as Ellen Gruenbaum, Lightfoot-Klein, Nancy Hartsock, Linda Nicholson, Efrat Tseëlon and the Egyptian writer and doctor Nawal El Saadawi will be consulted. I hope that this thesis can contribute as an observation about Alice Walker’s use of her social engagement in the creation of her fictional world. / Este trabajo consiste en una lectura de las diferentes formas de representación que pueden ser atribuidas al personaje Tashi, protagonista de la novela Possessing the Secret of Joy (1992), de la escritora negra norte-americana Alice Walker. Antes de esta obra, Tashi ya había aparecido en dos romances de Walker, primero en The Color Purple (1982), como personaje periferica y después como mención en The Temple of My Familiar (1989). Con Tashi, surge la temática de la circuncisión femenina, ritual al cual Tashi se somete en el principio de la edad adulta. El foco de observación del trabajo se vuelca sobre las maneras en las cuales la revuelta de la autora se tranforma en un medio de creación creativa. Walker utiliza su obra abiertamente como instrumento político para que el tema de la “mutilación genital” (termino utilizado por la autora) reciba amplia atención de los medios y crítica en general. El propósito de la investigación es evaluar hasta que punto el envolvimiento social de la autora contribuye positivamente o interfiere en el desarrollo de su trabajo. Para el análisis de las diferentes cuestiones relacionadas al tema de “female genital cutting” (FGC), termino utilizado por mi en el decorrer del trabajo, las obras de las críticas y escritoras feministas como Ellen Gruenbaum, Lightfoot-Klein, Nancy Hartsock, Linda Nicholson, Efrat Tseëlon y la egipcia Nawal El Saadawi serán consultadas. Deseo que el trabajo realizado pueda contribuir como una observación sobre como Alice Walker utiliza su envolvimiento social en la creación de su mundo fictício.

Este trabalho consiste em uma leitura das diferentes formas de representação que podem ser atribuídas à personagem Tashi, protagonista do romance Possessing the Secret of Joy (1992), da escritora negra estadunidense Alice Walker. Antes desta obra, Tashi já havia aparecido em dois romances de Walker, primeiro em The Color Purple (1982), como personagem periférica, e depois como menção em The Temple of my Familiar (1989). Com Tashi, surge a temática da prática da circuncisão feminina, ritual ao qual a personagem se submete no início da idade adulta. O foco de observação do trabalho se volta para a maneira na qual a revolta da autora é transformada em um meio de representação criativa. Walker utiliza sua obra abertamente como instrumento ideológico para que o tema da “mutilação genital” (termo utilizado pela autora) receba ampla atenção da mídia e da crítica em geral. O propósito da investigação é avaliar até que ponto o engajamento social da autora contribui de uma forma positiva em seu trabalho e até que ponto o mesmo engajamento o atrapalha. Para a análise das diferentes questões relacionadas ao tema de “female genital cutting” (FGC), termo que eu utilizo no decorrer da pesquisa, os trabalhos de críticas e escritoras feministas como Ellen Gruenbaum, Lightfoot-Klein, Nancy Hartsock, Linda Nicholson, Efrat Tseëlon e a egípcia Nawal El Saadawi serão consultados. Espero que esta dissertação possa contribuir como uma observação sobre como Alice Walker usa seu engajamento social na criação de seu mundo fictício. / This thesis provides a reading of the different forms of representation that can be attributed to the character Tashi, the protagonist of the novel Possessing the Secret of Joy (1992), written by the African American writer Alice Walker. Before this work Tashi had already appeared in two previous novels by Walker, first, in The Color Purple (1982) and then, as a mention, in The Temple of My Familiar (1989). With Tashi, the author introduces the issue of female circumcision, a ritual Tashi submits herself to at the beginning of her adult life. The focus of observation lies in the ways in which the author’s anger is transformed into a means of creative representation. Walker uses her novel Possessing the Secret of Joy openly as a political instrument so that the expression “female mutilation” (term used by the author) receives ample attention from the media and critics in general. The aim of this investigation is to evaluate to what extent Walker’s social engagement contributes to the development of her work and to what extent it undermines it. For the analysis of the different issues related to “female genital cutting”, the term I use in this thesis, the works of feminist critics and writers such as Ellen Gruenbaum, Lightfoot-Klein, Nancy Hartsock, Linda Nicholson, Efrat Tseëlon and the Egyptian writer and doctor Nawal El Saadawi will be consulted. I hope that this thesis can contribute as an observation about Alice Walker’s use of her social engagement in the creation of her fictional world. / Este trabajo consiste en una lectura de las diferentes formas de representación que pueden ser atribuidas al personaje Tashi, protagonista de la novela Possessing the Secret of Joy (1992), de la escritora negra norte-americana Alice Walker. Antes de esta obra, Tashi ya había aparecido en dos romances de Walker, primero en The Color Purple (1982), como personaje periferica y después como mención en The Temple of My Familiar (1989). Con Tashi, surge la temática de la circuncisión femenina, ritual al cual Tashi se somete en el principio de la edad adulta. El foco de observación del trabajo se vuelca sobre las maneras en las cuales la revuelta de la autora se tranforma en un medio de creación creativa. Walker utiliza su obra abiertamente como instrumento político para que el tema de la “mutilación genital” (termino utilizado por la autora) reciba amplia atención de los medios y crítica en general. El propósito de la investigación es evaluar hasta que punto el envolvimiento social de la autora contribuye positivamente o interfiere en el desarrollo de su trabajo. Para el análisis de las diferentes cuestiones relacionadas al tema de “female genital cutting” (FGC), termino utilizado por mi en el decorrer del trabajo, las obras de las críticas y escritoras feministas como Ellen Gruenbaum, Lightfoot-Klein, Nancy Hartsock, Linda Nicholson, Efrat Tseëlon y la egipcia Nawal El Saadawi serán consultadas. Deseo que el trabajo realizado pueda contribuir como una observación sobre como Alice Walker utiliza su envolvimiento social en la creación de su mundo fictício.

Este trabalho consiste em uma leitura das diferentes formas de representação que podem ser atribuídas à personagem Tashi, protagonista do romance Possessing the Secret of Joy (1992), da escritora negra estadunidense Alice Walker. Antes desta obra, Tashi já havia aparecido em dois romances de Walker, primeiro em The Color Purple (1982), como personagem periférica, e depois como menção em The Temple of my Familiar (1989). Com Tashi, surge a temática da prática da circuncisão feminina, ritual ao qual a personagem se submete no início da idade adulta. O foco de observação do trabalho se volta para a maneira na qual a revolta da autora é transformada em um meio de representação criativa. Walker utiliza sua obra abertamente como instrumento ideológico para que o tema da “mutilação genital” (termo utilizado pela autora) receba ampla atenção da mídia e da crítica em geral. O propósito da investigação é avaliar até que ponto o engajamento social da autora contribui de uma forma positiva em seu trabalho e até que ponto o mesmo engajamento o atrapalha. Para a análise das diferentes questões relacionadas ao tema de “female genital cutting” (FGC), termo que eu utilizo no decorrer da pesquisa, os trabalhos de críticas e escritoras feministas como Ellen Gruenbaum, Lightfoot-Klein, Nancy Hartsock, Linda Nicholson, Efrat Tseëlon e a egípcia Nawal El Saadawi serão consultados. Espero que esta dissertação possa contribuir como uma observação sobre como Alice Walker usa seu engajamento social na criação de seu mundo fictício. / This thesis provides a reading of the different forms of representation that can be attributed to the character Tashi, the protagonist of the novel Possessing the Secret of Joy (1992), written by the African American writer Alice Walker. Before this work Tashi had already appeared in two previous novels by Walker, first, in The Color Purple (1982) and then, as a mention, in The Temple of My Familiar (1989). With Tashi, the author introduces the issue of female circumcision, a ritual Tashi submits herself to at the beginning of her adult life. The focus of observation lies in the ways in which the author’s anger is transformed into a means of creative representation. Walker uses her novel Possessing the Secret of Joy openly as a political instrument so that the expression “female mutilation” (term used by the author) receives ample attention from the media and critics in general. The aim of this investigation is to evaluate to what extent Walker’s social engagement contributes to the development of her work and to what extent it undermines it. For the analysis of the different issues related to “female genital cutting”, the term I use in this thesis, the works of feminist critics and writers such as Ellen Gruenbaum, Lightfoot-Klein, Nancy Hartsock, Linda Nicholson, Efrat Tseëlon and the Egyptian writer and doctor Nawal El Saadawi will be consulted. I hope that this thesis can contribute as an observation about Alice Walker’s use of her social engagement in the creation of her fictional world. / Este trabajo consiste en una lectura de las diferentes formas de representación que pueden ser atribuidas al personaje Tashi, protagonista de la novela Possessing the Secret of Joy (1992), de la escritora negra norte-americana Alice Walker. Antes de esta obra, Tashi ya había aparecido en dos romances de Walker, primero en The Color Purple (1982), como personaje periferica y después como mención en The Temple of My Familiar (1989). Con Tashi, surge la temática de la circuncisión femenina, ritual al cual Tashi se somete en el principio de la edad adulta. El foco de observación del trabajo se vuelca sobre las maneras en las cuales la revuelta de la autora se tranforma en un medio de creación creativa. Walker utiliza su obra abiertamente como instrumento político para que el tema de la “mutilación genital” (termino utilizado por la autora) reciba amplia atención de los medios y crítica en general. El propósito de la investigación es evaluar hasta que punto el envolvimiento social de la autora contribuye positivamente o interfiere en el desarrollo de su trabajo. Para el análisis de las diferentes cuestiones relacionadas al tema de “female genital cutting” (FGC), termino utilizado por mi en el decorrer del trabajo, las obras de las críticas y escritoras feministas como Ellen Gruenbaum, Lightfoot-Klein, Nancy Hartsock, Linda Nicholson, Efrat Tseëlon y la egipcia Nawal El Saadawi serán consultadas. Deseo que el trabajo realizado pueda contribuir como una observación sobre como Alice Walker utiliza su envolvimiento social en la creación de su mundo fictício.

This qualitative study explores the factual knowledge base and cultural competence of school health counsellors regarding Female Genital Cutting (FGC) in a school setting in Sweden. Through four semi-structured interviews, the research explored participants’ understanding of FGC and their cultural competence in addressing this sensitive issue. Thematic analysis and the lens of social convention theory were applied to interpret the collected data. Results indicate that the school health counsellor’s team demonstrated to some extent factual knowledge and cultural competence regarding FGC. However, challenges such as time constraints, language barriers, and fear of evoking trauma emerged during their work with this concept in a school environment. Aligning with social convention theory, the participant's effort was seen as challenging the continuation of FGC within the Swedish context. The study contributes to the broader discourse on the role of school health counsellors in promoting awareness, prevention, and support for culturally sensitive topics related to the well-being of the student. The study concludes by advocating for culturally inclusive resources within the school to effectively tackle and disseminate knowledge on FGC, emphasizing the importance of addressing this issue within the educational system.

Is it possible to cover an issue as a journalist to the extent that you are practically a human rights activist, and still contribute to its continuation by unconsciously upholding the values causing the issue? This study asks the question if journalists help or hinder the elimination of female genital mutilation (FGM), and puts forth the thesis that journalists as a collective in fact are affecting the development more negatively through their attitudes than positively through their actions. The study consists of a theoretical analysis connecting to patriarchy and post-colonialism, and a field study from Tanzania where journalists are interviewed. The theoretical results show a clear connection between patriarchal values and FGM, and that if a journalist upholds these values she will not be as inclined to see the victim of FGM as a subaltern, she will be more likely to generalize the groups status and characteristics and she will be caught in between traditional and modern values. If a journalist ascribes to more traditional values when it comes to the difference between the genders, her attitudes will to some extent be counterproductive to the work she does when she covers FGM with the intention to prevent it. The field study supports this by showing that awareness about gender inequality and FGM does not necessarily mean awareness of patriarchal structures and how they affect men, women and traditions. One journalist can make a significant difference, but if she is a part of a journalist collective with strong, patriarchal values her efforts might not be sufficient to help in changing the overall development of FGM.