Circumcision – introduction and motivation why I write about this

Circumcision – introduction and motivation why I write about this

In the next few Blogs, I would like to write about male and female ‘circumcision’.

For men, the term circumcision is somewhat ‘obvious’ for it is widely practiced and is ‘recommended’ or ‘demanded’ by the Jewish religion as well as within the Muslim faith system (although there is room to argue about this). 

Male circumcision comes in a variety of practices.

Female circumcision (there are 4 main types) is also called Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) or Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting/Circumcision (FGM/C).

All this can be summarized under the terms Human Genital Circumcision (HMC) or HumanGenital Mutilation (HMG).

The terms Mutilation and Cutting are often times not accepted since they bear the connotation of harmful, illegal. For this Blog, I will use the term H(uman)GM, F(emale)GM, and M(ale)GM, the ‘M’ stands for the more neutral term Modification, but I keep the original abbreviations and meanings in the citations.

There is lots of information about the various types of HMC/HMG on the internet and in medical text books and journals. Viewer discretion is advised since the used graphics and pictures can be very disturbing (but only reflect reality)

 

Egyptian Circumcision, bas-relief found in the temple of Khons. Source: History of Circumcision, by P.C. Remondo, M.D. 1891. (I have colored it for better representation


Why am I interest in this topic?
I’m interested because I was wondering where/when/why this ‘custom’ was ‘invented’ and by whom. Does this ‘custom’ reflect deeper layers of humanity, i.e., was it a ‘’necessary’ element of human development? And why is it still practiced today?

Similar questions can be asked in regard to all types of Human Body Modifications and Ornamentation (but this is not covered here, maybe later, if I dare to look into this).

The other reason why I am interested is that during history, many false (and dangerous) claims have been made about related health and esthetical benefits. It is almost unbelievable how medical practitioners (individuals and whole organizations) argued about the advantages of circumcision, e.g., treatment of female hysteria, mental illness, masturbation homosexuality,…). All this caused great pain and damage to (mostly unknowing, uninformed) patients with long-lasting devastating effects.
 
It is evident that much harm and great suffering has been brought to men and women, and yet it is still practiced as many believe that the benefits outweigh the troubles.

As benefits are named: group/tribe membership and acceptance, belonging to  certain ethnicity, necessary rite of passage, fertility rite,  cultural identity, test of personal character and ability to endure pain, increased value as marriage partner, improved esthetics and health.

This means that these practices will not go  away anytime in the near future. To a certain extent, they are even demanded by many of the circumcised persons themselves.

I would like to express my deepest sympathy for all those who were and still are (without consent, unknowingly or under heavy societal and peer pressure) subjugated under these procedures, but I know that even my strongest feelings of empathy are by no means adequate to what neonates, young boys and girls, men and women have to endure.


(Male) Circumcision knife, Europe, 1775-1785 / Library reference: Science Museum A610550. Photo number: L0058051 / https://wellcomecollection.org/works/wwzw9nhc. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.


Motivation

I have done some literature research and found there is a huge amount of literature that is hardly to absorb/read. I will provide a list of used literature later. I most certainly do not claim to know or understand everything.

Again, my most basic question is regarding why and when such practiced where ‘invented’ by humanity and why Human Genital Modification (HGM) has become part of cultural identity and spirituality / religion.

Of course, I will also write about the plethora of pseudo-ethical and antiscientific arguments for male and female circumcision (e.g. Kellogg’s, Victorian age, Prevention of masturbation, Healing of hysteria, …)

But before I come to these kinds of anthropological matters, I would first like to provide some HGM information (next blog)










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