Female circumcision
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The idea of female circumcision, or female genital mutilation (FGM), as it is referred to by many, sets off waves of revulsion in Westerners and brings out the forces of women's liberation to fight for the rights of these poor women who are suffering this "barbaric" practice in Africa by so-called "unenlightened" tribes. Yet, few of those objecting to the practice really know anything about it, how it is performed or why, and how the women who undergo it really feel about it. Anthropologists are supposed to study different cultural and ethnic groups and report their findings, but many of them are now trying to moralize and change the ways of those they are supposed to be studying (Salomon, 1997, 364). As Shweder points out, on the subject of FMG, though horrific stories have come out to the public about the unsanitary way the practice is performed, the untold numbers of women dying from the practice, the thousands of others mutilated and suffering infections and other medical problems for the rest of their lives, there is no scientific proof of these facts (Shweder, 2000, 213). He reports on a study by Obermeyer, a medical anthropologist and epidemiologist at Harvard University, who carried out an extensive review of the existing medical literature on FGM in Africa. Obermeyer found that by just applying the most basic scientific standards for research, such as sample size, the published observations did not support widespread medical complications following FGM, and th
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anthropologists may feel it is their obligation to try and change this practice with which they disagree, they are not social workers, or medically trained professionals: they are observers and reporters, and that is the role they should play. It is not their role to bring about changes in cultural practices which differ from their own, or with which they disagree. Providing useful information to the people they are studying is one thing, but that is as far as they should go in this regard.
References
Salomon, M. H. (1997). Ethical considerations in anthropology and archaeology, or relativism and justice for all. Journal of Anthropological Research, 53(1), 362-369.
Shweder, R.A. (2000). What about "Female Genital Mutilation?" and why understanding culture matters in the first place.
Daedalus, 129(4), 209-234.
The institution of marriage can only be defined within the culture being talked about, since it varies from culture to culture. In western Christian society, it is believed by most to refer to the relationship between one man and one women for the purpose of procreation. In this case, males and females choose their own partners for marriage, and while some marriages are carried out for expedience,
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1582
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)
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