Global Discourse, Local Practice: Female Circumcision and Inter-Generational Conflict in a Somali Diaspora Community

Abstract

Abstract The purpose of this research is to contribute to ongoing efforts to eradicate the practice of female circumcision worldwide. To fully eliminate this practice we need to deeply understand the reasoning behind it. And so this work integrates global discussion and local practice, extending the dialogue about female circumcision beyond the realm of academics to include people for whom FC is a part of their daily lives. Through focus group sessions with members of the Somali diaspora in the US, I find a pronounced generational divide on opinions relating to FC, with the younger generation expressing adamant opposition to the practice. The views of the younger generation reflect a higher status for women of the Somali diaspora, which is borne out of a struggle with adjustment to a new culture.