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Summary Of Christine Walley's Article 'Voices'

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The article "Searching For "Voices": Feminism, Anthropology, And The Global Debate Over Female Genital Operations" by Christine Walley raises an important issue of the female circumcision. In the article, the author views this social problem from the perspective of an “outsider” and shares her experience of working with African children at the prime age for circumcision. As an anthropologist, she understands the negative connotations that may be associated with the concept and chooses a neutral one. Having had a chance to participate in the ceremony, Walley devotes much attention in the article to the personal experience. With the involvement of the thoughts of the participants, the researcher found that many of them would have better avoided …show more content…

Anthropological Reflections On Cultural Relativism And Its Others" by Lila Abu-Lughod seeks to explain the extent to which the western culture is mistaken when they perceive the Muslim community through the prism of the oppression that Muslim women are said to be subjected to. One of the author’s main arguments is the blurring of the reasons for which those women are discriminated and making the Muslim women symbolic in the fight on terrorism. Focusing on the wearing of a veil, Lila Abu-Lughod seeks to explain that some of the practices identified as discriminatory are beneficial for women, “signaling to all that they were still in the inviolable space of their homes” (785). In doing so, the author emphasizes the need for a more considerate approach to another culture rather than simply focusing on a definite artifact, a veil in this case. Thus, with respect to the cultural relativism, the author proves that this approach to the perception of a culture is not correct since it focuses on the differences. Respectively, the westerners should ignore the beliefs regarding their superiority over the Muslim culture and should work together with other cultures to solve the global problem of

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