The Female Body as Text: The Bio politics of Female Genital Mutilation

Abstract

Female Genital Mutilation refers to the horrendous practice of mutilating a woman's genital parts in the name of culture, tradition and religion. This custom thought to be practised only in the African nations, is practised even in developing nations like India where girls are subjected to this humiliating and torturous practice. This paper titled “The Female Body as Text: The Bio-politics of Female Genital Mutilation” attempts to explore the bio-politics of a cultural ritual like Female Genital Mutilation. It is an attempt to analyse the practice of Female Genital Mutilation through the theoretical lens of bio power. The paper provides an overview of Michel Foucault’s theory of bio-power that forms the basis for this analysis. Bio power refers to the growing tendency of modern power relations to focus on the behaviour of individuals and biological phenomena of population rather than the individuals themselves, in order to subject, modify and direct people’s conduct according to a given system of norms. It then traces the history and cultural beliefs associated with the practice. The paper applies the Foucauldian concept of bio-power to explore the relationship between the patriarchal domination of women and the cultural practice of female circumcision. It argues that when viewed through the Foucauldian lens of bio power female circumcision reveals itself to be a form of surveillance rather than a cultural and religious ritual.