The Modifications of Female Genitals in the Discourse of Human Rights Of Women. Humanitarian Morality, Subjection and Vernacularization

Abstract

Genital modifications are rites of institution related to gender binarism. The article elucidates how only some of them came to be depicted as “traditional”, irrational, backward, and harmful by the humanitarian morality, which, after having associated them to “non-therapeutic” reasons, labelled them as “Female Genital Mutilation”. The authors illustrate the problematical aspects of this globalised order of discourse on FGM, by articulating theories on humanitarian reason, gendered subjection and vernacularization. Thanks to the ethnography, the essay highlights that critical political anthropology is needed in order to stop concealing the multiple subjectivities who are implicated in this issue.

Keywords

• humanitarian reason
• subjection
• human rights
• critical anthropology
• gender