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I posted this in the Feminism 101 thread, but others thought this thread to be more suitable.
I was wondering how feminist relate ideas of female circumcision and cultural imperialism. For example, I hear the same person say it is wrong for people to circumcise female while next saying it is wrong to impose our culture on to other people. I’m just curious on how these are rectified, I assume based on a level of humanitarianism, but the people I’ve been talking to say it is inhumane to run into a country because of their so-called tyrannical government.
I’ll add that I am by no means saying female circumcision is good and dandy and should be allowed because that’s their cultural practice, I’m just having a hard time coming up with a logical argument when someone says “Let me get this straight, you want there to be no female circumcision yet you don’t want to impose your culture?”
many ravishing idperfections said:
Some feminists are African women. If they advocate for an end to female circumcision, whose culture are they imposing, and on whom?
Feminism is not only white women, not only the US and Europe, something that many white feminists forget at times. White feminists can best work for change in countries that practice female circumcision by supporting the already existing indigenous movements and following the lead of people who have a personal stake in the issues.
Point taken, I'm not well read on feminism outside of the western sphere. So in this regards is the western feminist justified in trying to end a cultural practice that's many generations old? or should that be left to the indigenous of the area? Is it justifiable for a non-indigenous to want to make their culture aware of female genital mutilation in other cultures in an attempt to end it?
Where is the line drawn between tradition and humanitarianism?
Once again, I'm not advocating female genital mutilation, just trying to have a discussion in order to form better arguments to those who do find it an acceptable practice or that it is not our place to tell others what to do. |
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