Critical Thinking and experiences of women who have suffered female genital mutilation: A case study

Abstract

Given the need for women who have suffered Female Genital Mutilation, reflect on the true nature of this practice and become aware of the underlying reality of it, it is based on the objective of identifying the factors that affect FGM and its impact through the experiences of women who have suffered it. The paradigm of departure is the hermeneutic and the sociocritical, The principles of cultural heritage and phenomenology, constitute the theoretical basis of the study that will adopt a gender approach using the perspectives provided by Bordieu (habitus) and Durkheim (logical conformism).Methodologically, the in-depth interview was used as a data collection technique and for its analysis the Dialectical Structural Model of Care. The sample consists of a single case that will serve as a basis for expanding it in subsequent studies. Results: the patriarchally regulated culture is the breeding ground of this "tradition" that has a very marked socializing component in diverse cultures and religions. The option of refusing to experience this practice leads to the absolute marginalization of the "rebellious" woman and also of the family. The habitus and the logical conformism facilitate the maintenance of female genital mutilation as a rite of passage with an institutional character that is subjectively and socially accepted by the communities that practice it.Conclusions: the essential tool to combat female genital mutilation is critical thinking in the context of transculturality that favors the opening of the feminine world to plural ways of thinking and behavior. It is the women themselves who have experienced this practice who have the potential pedagogic to fight against its eradication.

Leadership among Women Working to Eradicate Female Genital Mutilation: The Impact of Environmental Change in Transcultural Moments

“…Other studies have focused on analyzing the psychological effects of FGM, which can include post-traumatic stress disorders and memory problems, among others [ 6 ]. An article described three cultural moments in which the levels of acculturation or social and communicative integration of women were identified by analyzing the impact of multicultural, intercultural, and transcultural factors in the maintenance, questioning, or abandonment of the ideology of FGM [ 7 ]. In Spain, work has been done as part of the theses of Pastor and Jiménez-Ruiz, in order to give women who have experienced FGM a voice and visibility [ 8 , 9 ], as well as to analyze FGM from the perspective of both women and men [ 9 ].…”

“…FGM is a practice that, for the most part, arises from a need to explain the change that girls undergo when they move from childhood to puberty [ 11 , 12 ]. This explanation is done through the narrative or fable that spiritual leaders (e.g., sorcerers, shamans, or priests), imbued with esoteric knowledge, construct by integrating them into belief systems which legitimize patriarchal power [ 7 ]. These stories justify FGM for a variety of reasons, such as purity, hygiene, elimination of the male part, safeguarding of virginity, control of women’s sexuality, and so on.…”

“…After passing the initiation test, women are respected by their community and can marry and start a family. Women who do not undergo this process become outcasts who are disowned by their family and community [ 7 ]. The complexity of this practice is also reflected in the diversity of its names, which vary from country to country: tradition (Guinea), tisianem (Mauritania), Bundu (Sierra Leone), purification ceremony (Kenya), initiation ceremony (Gambia), and so on [ 12 , 14 ].…”

“…Most authors agree that the migration of women does not directly cause acculturation [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 14 ]. Acculturation is a complex process which is directly linked to the potential for communication between migrant women and women in the reception country and their integration into social networks external to those of their countries of origin.…”

“…Cultural moments identify the level of acculturation of an individual or a human group from a given culture, depending on their level of communication and interaction with individuals or groups from other cultures. The higher the level of intercultural communication and interaction, the greater the possibility of reflecting on and questioning beliefs and practices about FGM [ 7 ]. In a study, three cultural moments were identified, according to the level of communication/interaction: multicultural moments, where there is no communication between people from different cultures, who remain isolated and maintain the beliefs and practices of their countries of origin; intercultural moments, where there is a certain permeability allowing communication between groups from different cultures, but no common objectives or action strategies are established to achieve them collaboratively—this is the phase in which the beliefs and practices of FGM are questioned; and cross-cultural moments, which are characterized by permanent and effective communication between different cultures, allowing the identification of common problems and objectives and the design of collaborative actions to achieve them—in this phase, FGM can be identified as a common problem and objectives and strategies for its eradication can be established [ 7 , 22 ].…”