Ellen Gruenbaum, author of the book The Female Circumcision Controversy: An Anthropological Perspective, will present her findings April 21 at 7 p.m. in the Moon Room of Dana auditorium.
During her visit, Gruenbaum will visit classes to discuss her experiences studying culturally sensitive issues in Africa.
“Anthropologists value the goal of seeing cultural practices from the point of view of those who practice them, so we routinely suspend judgment for the sake of understanding,” Gruenbaum said. “But what do you do when a cultural practice collides in your gut with deep humanitarian values?”
Sociology and anthropology professor Laban Gwako has used Gruenbaum’s book in several of his classes, and has lectured on the topic of female circumcision.
“(Gruenbaum’s lecture) will give students a chance to understand the cultural roots of female circumcision, what I call a contextualized understanding of a very sensitive issue that has always been controversial when Westerners look at it,” Gwako said.
Westerners tend to condemn the practice, arguing that female circumcision deprives women full realization of their sexuality and represents the continued subordination of women.
But Gwako points out that female circumcision serves multiple functions that must be considered in the context of African society.
“It is considered a rite of passage … a ritual that marks the transition of an individual … from a child to a fully functional member of the society,” Gwako said. “The shedding of blood when circumcision is conducted is supposed to link the individual who has been circumcised to the rest of the members of the society. When it drops on the soil, it connects that individual to ancestors who are dead and gone.”
Sociology and anthropology major Leslie Essien took Gwako’s African Cultures class, and understands that female circumcision is a complicated topic for anthropologists to study.
“This is a tradition of many African societies, which seems to be supported and desired by some African women,” Essien said. “On the other hand, reports and evidence of how this practice is physically and psychologically harmful to women indicate that this is a practice that other African women oppose and rebel against.
“My dilemma as a student of anthropology is knowing where the respect for cultural differences end and human rights concerns begin,” she said.
“It will be nice to hear our students asking about whether this is a cultural right, whether it’s a violation of human rights, whether the cultural rights should be more important than the human rights, or whether the individual rights take supremacy over cultural rights,” Gwako said.
Senior Laura Myerchin took two classes with Gwako and wrote a research paper on female circumcision.
She is a family friend of Gruenbaum.
“I saw that Laban was using one of her books for Cultural Anthropology, so I mentioned that I knew her and he suggested that we try to get her to come to Guilford,” Myerchin said. “I think that it’s an interesting topic and it’s one that needs attention in order for the international community to get involved.”
A professor of anthropology at California State University at Fresno, Gruenbaum’s areas of teaching interest include cultural anthropology, gender studies, medical anthropology, and Islamic cultures in the Middle East and Africa.
She has undertaken research on beauty pageants and HIV prevention in Botswana, as well as a long-term project on female circumcision in Sudan.