Habitus and How Kenyan Women Learned To Say ‘No’ To Female Genital Cutting

• In Event: 3151 - Theory Section Refereed Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: 8. Theoretical Approaches to Global Change and Challenges – B

Abstract

Female Genital Cutting (FGC) is a global human rights issue that involves a partial or total removal of the external female genitalia for non-medical reasons. Scholarly articles and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working on anti-FGC efforts focus on education as a critical factor in reducing the prevalence of FGC. In these discussions, education is conceptualized in two main ways. First, education is defined as awareness about FGC’s negative physical effects such as potential chronic pain, birth complications, etc. Second, education in anti-FGC efforts is conceptualized as formal schooling—having institutional educational credentials. While each definition has its own merits in understanding the role of education in discontinuing the practice of FGC, drawing upon the concept of habitus, I argue that the definition of education in the anti-FGC effort should be expanded to encompass cultural aspects as well. This paper analyzes in-depth interview data collected in 2016 from 20 women from FGC-practicing ethnic groups in Kenya. The findings demonstrate that women from FGC-practicing communities embody lessons, preferences and behavior about FGC through various mediums beyond the conventional types of education - awareness that FGC is harmful and formal schooling. Thus, this paper contributes to devising effective anti-FGC strategies by incorporating the cultural processes of how meanings and values of FGC are reproduced.

Author

• Young Eun Nam, Purdue University