The Routledge International Handbook of Harmful Cultural Practices

This handbook examines cross-cultural work on harmful cultural practices, such as female genital mutilation (FGM), virginity testing, hymenoplasty, and genital cosmetic surgery, which are gendered forms of abuse of women. It uses feminist methodology and mixed methods, with ethnography of central importance, to provide holistic, grounded theorizing within a framework of transformative research. The book highlights the complexity of these practices and the need for global action based on understanding their contextual differentiation and intersectional experiences.

Format: Hardback
Length: 538 pages
Publication date: 04 December 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This comprehensive handbook delves into the examination of cross-cultural work on harmful cultural practices, specifically targeting gendered forms of abuse against women. These practices encompass a range of harmful interventions, including female genital mutilation (FGM), virginity testing, hymenoplasty, and genital cosmetic surgery. By bringing together comparative perspectives, intersectionality, and interdisciplinarity, the handbook employs a feminist methodology and mixed methods, with ethnography playing a central role, to offer holistic and grounded theorizing within a framework of transformative research.

By focusing on female genital mutilation (FGM), a topical and contentious practice, the handbook establishes it as a heuristic reference for related procedures. This approach highlights the need for global action based on a comprehensive understanding of the complex nature of harmful cultural practices, which are differentiated and experienced in intersectional ways. However, due to the sensitive and prejudicial nature of this phenomenon, narratives of suffering often remain muted and suppressed, dismissed as indigenous rituals, or used as ammunition for racist organizing. Such conflicted and often opaque debates hinder a clear vision of both the scale of the problem and the potential solutions.

The handbook is organized into six parts:

Discourses and Epistemological Fault Lines: This section explores the discourses surrounding harmful cultural practices and the epistemological fault lines that perpetuate them. It examines the ways in which dominant narratives and power structures shape perceptions and understanding of these practices, as well as the challenges faced by those who seek to challenge and dismantle them.

FGM and Related Patriarchal Inscriptions: This part examines the relationship between FGM and patriarchal inscriptions, exploring how gender norms and power dynamics are reinforced through FGM. It also examines the ways in which FGM is used to control and marginalize women, as well as the impact of FGM on their physical and mental health.

Gender and Genitalia: This section explores the intersection of gender and genitalia, examining how gender norms and stereotypes are perpetuated through the construction of female bodies and genitalia. It also examines the ways in which gender-based violence and discrimination are exacerbated by harmful cultural practices, and the strategies used by women to resist and challenge these practices.

Female Bodies and Body Politics: This section examines the political and economic implications of harmful cultural practices on female bodies and body politics. It explores the ways in which these practices are used to control women's bodies and reproductive rights, as well as the strategies used by women to reclaim their bodies and assert their rights.

Placing Engagement, Innovation, Impact, Care: This section explores the strategies used by individuals and organizations to engage with and address harmful cultural practices. It examines the role of advocacy, education, and social change in challenging and dismantling these practices, as well as the importance of care and support for those affected by these practices.

Words and Texts to Shatter Silence: This section examines the use of words and texts to challenge and dismantle harmful cultural practices. It explores the role of storytelling, poetry, and other forms of artistic expression in raising awareness and promoting social change, as well as the challenges faced by those who seek to use these forms of expression in a politically sensitive and ethical manner.

The handbook is comprised of 24 newly written chapters from experts around the world, making it an invaluable resource for scholars and students in nursing, social work, and allied health fields, as well as sociology, gender studies, and postcolonial studies. By bringing together a diverse range of perspectives and methodologies, the handbook offers a comprehensive and interdisciplinary understanding of the complex issues surrounding harmful cultural practices and their impact on women's lives.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032327563